Breast cancer tests

Screening tests check for disease before symptoms appear. If screening tests suggest a problem, diagnostic tests are conducted. These tests can provide more specific information, such as confirming whether cancer is present and determining the type of cancer.

Test type	Description
Clinical breast exams	The best way to detect cancer in its early stages when combined with mammograms. Performed by doctors during office visits. Using the flat part the fingers, doctor checks each breast for lumps and looks for other suspicious changes. Should be done every three years between the ages of 20 and 39 and yearly after age 40.
Mammography	An exam in which a low dose of radiation (X-ray) is passed through a compressed breast. Breast compression is necessary to ensure the highest-quality image. Compression is not dangerous to your breast tissue, and any mild discomfort should be temporary. Can detect breast cancer when still very small, sometimes two years before patient or doctor can feel it. Learn more.
Breast ultrasound	Sound waves create an image that outlines a part of the body on a computer screen. Breast ultrasound is used when a suspicious area is identified in a mammogram, and can tell whether a lump is a fluid-filled cyst (usually not cancerous) or a solid mass.
Breast-specific gamma imaging	A small amount of radioactive tracing agent is injected in a patient's arm. The agent is temporarily absorbed in the body and concentrates in cancer cells with a high metabolic rate. A specially designed camera takes pictures of the breast to help radiologists see any abnormal (cancerous) cellular activity, without compressing the breast.
Breast MRI	Uses a magnet linked to a computer to take pictures of tissue inside the breast. Can reveal tumors that are too small to be detected through a physical exam or mammogram. May be used as a complementary test to mammograms.
Nuclear medicine scanning	Uses small amounts of radioactive materials that are attracted to specific organs or tissues, which makes these areas visible using special cameras. The cameras work with computers to form images that provide information about the breast and can help show cysts or tumors.
Biopsy	Removes a tissue sample for examination under a microscope. Done when an abnormality has been found that possibly is cancer. Can determine if breast tissue is malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous).  Learn more.

For more information, call Jane Brattain Breast Center at 952-993-3700.