Video Q&A about Your Guide to Selecting the Right Mammogram

I have very dense and heavy breasts and was told by the person doing my mammograms there was no need to do them anymore. I am 68 and have had a breast mass before. What is your opinion and what kind of mammogram would be best for me.

I have heard that thermography (using heat) is a healthier way to screen. Is there any truth to this?

I was told that breast cancer risk increases with age. I am 72 and my Dr. Makes sure I have mammogram every year. So talk to your Dr.

Hi @mollyb1968, Dr. Victor Pizzitola and Mary Anne speak quite a bit about imaging for women with dense breast tissue, ie 3-D mammogram and contrast mammogram. They particular speak about this at minute 8:00. Did you see it live? If not, no worries. The archived video is posted above in this discussion.

@user_ch3a1e07f I hope you were able to listen to the broadcast live. Your question was asked. To hear the answer start listening at minute 27:00
Dr. Pizzitola responds: Thermography has been studied for a very long time but has not been found to be beneficial for patients in the screening setting. It has not decreased mortality. Thermography is not used at any of the Mayo Clinic campuses.

Additionally Molly, we asked specifically about the upper age limit for regular screening. Listen to the answer from Dr. Pizzitola and Mary Anne at minute 27:30.
I paraphrase here: Mayo Clinic recommends yearly mammograms until past 70. In your mid-70s you can have a conversation with your doctor about whether continuing with regular screening would be beneficial for you. Usually patients who are healthy continue screening.

Thank you for your answers. I saw only parts of it but did not see the answers to questions. Thank you again.

How much radiation do you receive with each of these procedures? Thank you.

Hi Julie,
The Q&A for this event is closed. Here is some information from the FDA on radiation emission of medical imaging https://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationEmittingProductsandProcedures/MedicalImaging/default.htm

I have a question but not about radiation. My mammogram findings showed benign-appearing fibroglandular calcifications. If these are benign, could they turn to cancer?

Hi Molly,
According to this article from Imaging Technology News http://bit.ly/2mOiy6t “fibroglandular breast density is important, because high density increases the risk of cancer and decreases the accuracy of mammograms”
Is your breast tissue also dense?

All the more reason to keep up with regular breast cancer screening.

They said it was benign. Can it still turn to cancer?

Although I had breast cancer and metastatic disease from the breast cancer current, my oncologist says a PET scan suffices for the mammogram. When I was a patient at Mayo Clinic for 18 yrs. following breast cancer surgery, I always had a mammogram.