A mammogram is a type of breast screening that uses low-dose X-rays to assess the health of breast tissue. The aim is to identify changes or abnormalities in the breast such as micro-calcifications (tiny deposits of calcium in the breast), masses or cysts, that could be early signs that breast cancer is present before you experience any symptoms.
Regular screenings are recommended to increase the chance of early detection when breast cancer is most treatable and you have the highest chances of survival. Several large studies from around the world show that regular mammograms reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer in women aged 40 to 69, especially in those aged 50+. By detecting breast cancer at an early stage, mammography has helped significantly reduce the death rate of breast cancer in women aged 50 and over in the UK.
Diagnosing breast cancer early and then getting the best available treatment is vital in reducing the risk of dying from breast cancer. When found early, when small and before it has had a chance to spread, breast cancer is easier to treat successfully. Regular breast screening leads to cancers being discovered before they can be felt, when they are smaller and when they are less likely to have spread.
Triple assessment in a one-stop clinic with clinical examination, breast imaging and biopsy, ensures a rapid diagnosis, enabling prompt treatment and a better outcome as well as reducing anxiety and stress.
Professor Simon Russell is a Consultant Oncologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge and Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon. He leads the Urological Malignancy Service and has previously been lead clinician for the breast service. He is the lead for Radiotherapy for Genesis Cancer Care, Cambridge. He has served as the secretary of the British Uro-Oncology Group 2003-2015 and remains a Trustee. He was appointed Professor of Oncology at the University of Rome Medical School, Tor Vergata 2015. Simon joined Check4Cancer in 2018.
At a mammogram, a technician will take two X-rays of each breast (four images in total). You will be undressed from the waist up and the mammographer will position your breasts on the X-ray machine one at a time. The machine will squeeze your breast between two plates while an X-ray is taken. The mammograms only take a few minutes, with the appointment taking around 30 minutes from start to finish.
If you have had previous breast cancer in the last five years or are still under the care of your breast consultant, you will be unable to have a screening mammogram with Check4Cancer.
If you are pregnant you will not be able to have a screening mammogram until six months after the birth. If you are breastfeeding you will need to wait approximately six months after stopping breastfeeding before you can have a screening mammogram.
Women aged 40-49 years
Women aged 50+
A breast screening mammogram is an X-ray of the breast used to detect breast changes in women who have NO signs or symptoms of breast cancer. It usually involves two X-rays of each breast.
Even though mammography can detect tumours that cannot be felt, finding a small tumour does not mean that a woman’s life will always be saved. Mammography may not help a woman with a fast-growing or aggressive cancer that already has spread to other parts of her body before being detected.
False negatives occur when mammograms appear normal even though breast cancer is present. Overall, mammograms miss up to 20 percent of the breast cancers in older women that are present at the time of screening. False negatives occur more often in younger women than in older women because the dense breasts of younger women make breast cancers more difficult to detect on a mammogram. As women age, their breasts usually become more fatty (and therefore less dense), and breast cancers become easier to detect with screening mammograms.
Several large studies around the world show that breast cancer screening with mammograms reduces the number of deaths from breast cancer in women aged between 40-69, especially in those aged 50+. By detecting breast cancer at an early stage, breast screening using mammography has helped to reduce the death rate of breast cancer in women aged 50+ in the UK.
Mammography will not pick up all breast cancers however, in women aged 50+ mammography will pick up approximately 85% of all breast cancers. In younger women however, the test is much less sensitive because of the presence of dense breast tissue and may miss up to 50% of the breast cancers present in this age group. As a result, mammograms should be performed yearly in younger women to try and reduce the numbers of missed cancers.
Women with breast implants can continue to have mammograms. A woman who had an implant following breast cancer surgery should ask her doctor whether a mammogram of the reconstructed breast is necessary.
It is important to inform the mammography facility about breast implants when scheduling a mammogram. The technician and radiologist must be experienced in X-raying patients with breast implants. Implants can hide some breast tissue, making it more difficult for the radiologist to detect an abnormality on the mammogram.
If the radiographer performing the procedure is aware a woman has breast implants, steps can be taken to make sure that as much breast tissue as possible can be seen on the mammogram. Many women with breast implants complain of increased mammography discomfort compared with life before breast implants.
We’re pleased to cancel and re-schedule any appointments without penalty or administration fees up to 24 hours before your appointment. However, with less than 24 hours’ notice of cancellation, re-scheduling or non-attendance on the day does incur a 100% cancellation fee as we’ll be unable to re-use the time to support other clients. New appointments will be charged at the ‘self-pay’ rate of £230.
I think your screening mammogram service might have saved my life. As a result of the mammogram, I was found to have a DCIS* and had a lumpectomy and then radiotherapy. I will be followed up every six months at the London clinic. It’s a brilliant thing you do and I am very grateful.
(*DCIS means 'Ductal Carcinoma in situ and is considered the earliest form of breast cancer)
I couldn't have asked for a better service/experience. My appointment was scheduled for one week after my initial contact. In one hour at my appointment I had an examination, a mammogram and the all clear. I couldn't have asked for a more. Thank you all so much!
Nurse was very gentle and put me at ease and Mr Skene was very professional, patient, took all information and explained me his impression before the mammogram exam. Thank you!
