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Results
By Mayo Clinic staff
Mammography produces mammograms — black-and-white images of your breast tissue on X-ray film. If your mammogram is digital, images are electronic and are displayed on a video monitor or are printed off for viewing. A radiologist interprets the images and sends a written report of the findings to your doctor.
The radiologist looks for evidence of cancer or noncancerous (benign) conditions that may require further testing, follow-up or treatment.
Possible findings include:
- Calcium deposits (calcifications) in ducts and other tissues
- Masses or lumps
- Distorted tissues
- Dense areas appearing in only one breast or one specific area on the mammogram
- New dense area that has appeared since your last mammogram
Calcifications can be the result of cell secretions, cell debris, inflammation and trauma, among other causes. Tiny, irregular deposits called microcalcifications may be associated with cancer. Larger, coarser areas of calcification may be caused by aging or by a benign condition such as fibroadenoma, a common noncancerous tumor of the breast. Most breast calcifications are benign, but if calcifications appear worrisome, the radiologist might order additional diagnostic images with magnification.
Dense areas indicate tissue that is more glandular than fatty, which can make calcifications and masses more difficult to identify or differentiate from normal glandular tissue. Dense areas can also represent cancer. Distorted areas suggest tumors that may have invaded neighboring tissues.
If the radiologist notes areas of concern on your mammogram, further testing may include additional mammograms known as compression or magnification views, as well as ultrasound imaging or a procedure (biopsy) to remove a sample of breast tissue for laboratory testing. Some situations require the use of diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in areas where the current imaging with mammography or ultrasound is negative and it's not clear what's causing a breast change or abnormality.
- Breast cancer screening (PDQ). National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/screening/breast/Patient/AllPages. Accessed June 22, 2011.
- Mammography. RadiologyInfo.org. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=mammo. Accessed June 22, 2011.
- James JJ, et al. The breast. In: Adam A, et al. Grainger & Allison's Diagnostic Radiology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-10163-2..X5001-5--TOP&isbn=978-0-443-10163-2&uniqId=259733166-219. Accessed June 21, 2011.
- Smith RA, et al. Cancer screening in the United States, 2011: A review of current American Cancer Society guidelines and issues in cancer screening. CA Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2011;61:8.
- Screening for breast cancer. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/uspsbrca.htm. Accessed June 22, 2011.
- Consumer information (MQSA). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/MammographyQualityStandardsActandProgram/ConsumerInformation/default.htm. Accessed June 22, 2011.
- Pruthi S (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 29, 2011.
- Yau EJ, et al. The utility of breast MRI as a problem-solving tool. The Breast Journal. 2011;17:273.
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