Mammography

A technique using X-rays to diagnose and locate tumors of the breasts, or mammary gland which is one of the two half-moon-shaped glands on either side of the adult female chest, which with fatty tissue and the nipple make up the breast. Within each mammary gland is a network of sacs that produce milk during lactation and send the milk to the nipple via a system of ducts. Undeveloped mammary glands are present in female children and in males.

Mammogram - An X-ray of the breast that is taken with a device which compresses and flattens the breast. A mammogram can help a health professional decide whether a lump in the breast is a gland, a harmless cyst, or a tumor. A mammogram can cause pressure, discomfort, and some soreness that lasts for a little while after the procedure. If the mammogram result raises suspicions about cancer, a biopsy is usually the next step. The American Cancer Society and the American College of Surgeons currently recommend that a woman obtain her first, baseline, mammogram between the ages of 35 and 40. Between the ages of 40 and 50, a mammogram should be done every other year. After the age of 50, a mammogram should be repeated yearly. Women who are at high risk for developing breast cancer may need to obtain mammograms earlier than these recommendations and at more frequent intervals.

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