Mammography News and Research

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A mammogram is a safe test used to look for any problems with a woman's breasts. The test uses a special, low-dose x-ray machine to take pictures of both breasts. The results are recorded on x-ray film or directly onto a computer for a radiologist to examine.

Mammograms allow the doctor to have a closer look for breast lumps and changes in breast tissue. They can show small lumps or growths that a doctor or woman may not be able to feel when doing a clinical breast exam. "Mammography" is the best screening tool that doctors have for finding breast cancer.

If a lump is found, your doctor may order other tests, such as ultrasound or a biopsy--a test where a small amount of tissue is taken from the lump and area around the lump. The tissue is sent to a lab to look for cancer or changes that may mean cancer is likely to develop. Breast lumps or growths can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer). Finding breast cancer early means that a woman has a better chance of surviving the disease. There are also more choices for treatment when breast cancer is found early.

FDA warns Total Thermal Imaging for illegally marketing unapproved thermography device

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter toTotal Thermal Imaging Inc., of La Mesa, California, and its president and co-owner, Linda Hayes, for illegally marketing and distributing an unapproved thermography device as a sole screening device for breast cancer and other diseases.

25 Feb 2019

New machine learning method predicts if atypical ductal hyperplasia will turn cancerous

Atypical ductal hyperplasia is a breast lesion associated with a four- to five-fold increase in the risk of breast cancer.

13 Feb 2019

Breast cancer screening age should be lowered to 35 for those with a family history

Thousands of women who have a family history of breast cancer should be screened from the age of 35, rather than the current eligibility age of 40.

13 Feb 2019

More than half a million breast cancer patient's lives saved by improvements in treatment

Latest U.S. estimates indicate that since 1989, hundreds of thousands of women's lives have been saved by mammography and improvements in breast cancer treatment.

12 Feb 2019

New recommendations on breast cancer screening and diagnosis released

With the release today of 17 new recommendations, the JRC now makes available in total 40 recommendations on breast cancer screening and diagnosis, as part of the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer.

4 Feb 2019

World Cancer Day 2019 highlights the need for urgent action to improve early cancer detection

World Cancer Day 2019 highlights the need for urgent action to increase early stage cancer detection, screening, and diagnosis to significantly improve cancer patients’ chances of survival.

4 Feb 2019

Study: Thousands of women get unnecessary mammograms before breast reduction surgery

Each year, thousands of younger women with no known risk of breast cancer get mammograms before having breast reduction surgery.

30 Jan 2019

Study identifies prominent socioeconomic and racial disparities in health behavior in Indiana

A population health study from IUPUI and the Regenstrief Institute has identified striking socioeconomic and racial disparities in health behavior and in the receipt of cancer screening in the 34 Indiana counties with cancer death rates higher than the state's average. Overall, the state of Indiana ranks high -- 11th nationally -- in cancer deaths.

18 Jan 2019

Loughborough academics part of new project investigating effectiveness of personalized breast cancer screening

Loughborough University academics are to conduct research as part of a large-scale international project investigating whether personalized breast cancer screening is a better screening option for women aged 40 to 70.

17 Dec 2018

Breast cancer protection from pregnancy begins many decades later, study finds

In general, women who have had children have a lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who have never given birth. However, new research has found that moms don't experience this breast cancer protection until many years later and may face elevated risk for more than 20 years after their last pregnancy.

14 Dec 2018

Updated breast cancer screening guideline highlights importance of shared decision-making

An updated guideline on screening for breast cancer emphasizes shared decision-making between women and their doctors, supporting women to make an informed decision based on personal preferences when the balance between benefits and harms is uncertain.

10 Dec 2018

Cryoablation shows potential as a treatment for low-risk breast cancer

Researchers at CentraState Medical Center have shown that cryoablation, also known as cryotherapy, could be an effective treatment for low-risk breast cancer.

28 Nov 2018

New report highlights key focus areas to help cancer screening realize its full potential

Cancer screening has contributed substantially to reduced incidence, morbidity, and mortality, but issues like access and quality care and have kept screening from fulfilling its full potential, according to a new report.

19 Nov 2018

Study: Women who participate in breast screening have greater benefit from treatments

Women who take part in breast screening have a significantly greater benefit from treatments than those who are not screened, according to a study of more than 50,000 women, led in the UK by Queen Mary University of London.

9 Nov 2018

Presence of rare mutations indicates increased risk from interval breast cancers

While the presence of common breast cancer mutations was indicative of increased breast cancer risk, the presence of certain rare mutations was indicative of increased risk from interval breast cancers and death.

1 Nov 2018

Breast tomosynthesis detects 34% more tumors than traditional mammography

After screening 15 000 women over a period of five years, a major clinical study in Sweden has shown that 3D mammography, or breast tomosynthesis, detects over 30% more cancers compared to traditional mammography – with a majority of the detected tumours proving to be invasive cancers.

15 Oct 2018

AI approach could identify nuanced imaging features specific for recalled-benign mammograms

An artificial intelligence approach based on deep learning convolutional neural network could identify nuanced mammographic imaging features specific for recalled but benign (false-positive) mammograms and distinguish such mammograms from those identified as malignant or negative.

11 Oct 2018

Over 20% of women are paying out-of-pocket costs for their screening mammogram, shows study

More than 20% of women aged 50-64 years and those aged 65-74 years with Medicare coverage reported paying out-of-pocket costs for their most recent screening mammogram, according to a study led by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

10 Oct 2018

New book provides evidence that new drugs, medical technologies are safe and effective

Does a new medicine or diagnostic test work? Is it safe? Should the government approve it and insurers pay for it? The answers are not as straightforward as they may seem - and the reasons are the subject of a new book by Karen J. Maschke, a research scholar at The Hastings Center, and Michael K. Gusmano, a Hastings Center research scholar and an associate professor of health policy at Rutgers University School of Public Health.

27 Sep 2018

Views of minority women on gender, race/ethnicity may affect how they seek help for health needs

Black women are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages of breast cancer partly due to barriers to timely screening mammography.

24 Sep 2018