Mammogram FAQs: Part 1, About Mammograms

What is a mammogram?
A mammogram is a safe, low-dose x-ray picture of the breast. It is currently the most effective method of detecting breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages.

What is a screening mammogram?
A screening mammogram is a quick, easy way to detect breast cancer early when treatment is more effective and the survival rate is high. It is an x-ray of the breast that doctors use to look for breast changes in women with no symptoms of breast cancer. Usually, two x-ray pictures are taken of each breast. A physician trained to read the mammograms examines them later. Screening for breast cancer is best achieved by including both mammography and a clinical breast examination in the screening process.

What are some of the limitations of screening mammograms?

• Finding cancer does not always mean saving lives – Even though mammography can detect tumors that cannot be felt, finding a small tumor does not always mean that a woman’s life will be saved. Mammography may not help a woman with a fast-growing or aggressive cancer that has already spread to other parts of her body before being detected.
• False Negatives – False negatives occur when mammograms appear normal even though breast cancer is present. Overall, mammograms miss up to 20 percent of the breast cancers 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 spot in mammograms. As women age, their breasts usually become more fatty (and therefore less dense), and breast cancers become easier to detect with screening mammograms.
• False Positives – False positives occur when mammograms are read by a radiologist as abnormal, but no cancer is actually present. Although all abnormal mammograms should be followed up with additional testing (a diagnostic mammogram, ultrasound, and/or biopsy), most abnormalities turn out not to be cancer. False positives are more common in younger women, women who have had previous breast biopsies, women with a family history of breast cancer, and women who are taking estrogen (for example, hormone replacement therapy).

What is a diagnostic mammography exam?
A doctor uses a diagnostic mammogram to learn the cause of a woman’s breast problems such as a breast mass, skin changes or nipple discharge. Diagnostic mammography takes slighty longer than screening mammography because more x-rays are taken. A qualified physician may check the mammograms while you wait.

Why should I have a mammogram?
A mammogram can detect breast cancer that is too small to be seen or felt. If breast cancer is found early enough during a mammogram, it can be treated early when it is easiest to cure. In some cases, finding a breast lump early may mean that a patient can choose surgery to save the breast. Early detection may also mean that chemotherapy is unnecessary.

How much does a mammogram cost?
Screening mammograms generally cost between $100 and $150. Most states have laws requiring health insurance companies to reimburse all or part of the cost of screening mammograms. Details can be provided by insurance companies and health care providers.

Medicare pays 80 percent of the cost of a screening mammogram each year for beneficiaries age 40 and older and one baseline mammogram for beneficiaries age 35 to 39. There is no deductible requirement for this benefit, but Medicare beneficiaries are responsible for a 20 percent co-payment of the Medicare-approved amount.