How not to miss cancer
In women with dense breast tissue (types C or D), a single mammogram is not enough to avoid missing breast cancer. In the National Medical Research Center of Oncology, such patients are recommended, in addition, to regularly undergo breast ultrasound.
As Ekaterina Busko explained, in young women the mammary gland consists mainly of glandular tissue and this is considered the norm. That is why they are usually prescribed breast ultrasound for prevention and examinations – mammography in their case will not be effective. And following 40 years, the picture changes.
– In women following 40 years, a large amount of glandular tissue is no longer only a risk factor, but also a limiting factor for mammography. Therefore, when a patient at the age of 40 performs a mammogram for the first time, the radiologist evaluates her type of structure of the mammary glands and indicates it in the conclusion. Patients with structure types A and B can continue to be observed using mammography, but patients with structure types C and D must, in addition to mammography, perform ultrasound, says the expert of the National Medical Research Center of Oncology.