How effective is breast cancer screening?

 

There are two commonly used types of breast cancer screening. One is mammography, which uses X-rays to examine the breasts in detail. The other is breast ultrasound screening.

Mammograms are a type of screening where images of the breast tissue are taken. Mammograms detect breast cancer cells in mammary glands, as well as identify growths and tumors that might not be found at a physical exam. A mammogram is basically a high-quality picture that takes different views from all angles to show anything off from tissues to cysts or clots hidden within the breasts.

The overwhelming majority of women with breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors and their tumors were detected by screening mammography. But about 85% of the time, a mammographic abnormality found through routine screening is benign and will never cause a woman any harm during her lifetime. The potential to save lives from breast cancer overshadows this downside, but it brings up questions about whether we're just creating an environment where lots of people must endure unnecessary follow-up tests that come back negative for the disease.