Some women who undergo conventional mammography in older machines sometimes complain about the discomfort or pain they felt – when the breast tissue was briefly compressed during the test.

This may prompt them to skip the life-saving annual screening routine, which has reduced breast cancer deaths worldwide by 30% to 50%^[1] due to early diagnosis of breast cancer.

The best protection against breast cancer is early detection because:

1. No one can prevent it, and
2. Early diagnosis dramatically improves the chances of complete cure and disease-free survival with 93% or higher survival rates in the first five years.^[2]

Also, mammography is the gold standard test for early breast cancer detection as concluded by an expert panel headed by the University of California that reviewed 18 different detection systems.^[3]

What about the pain and discomfort reported by these women?

Is Mammography more comfortable now?

Yes. Getting a mammogram today is a different experience compared to earlier. The advancement in technology has made the whole process simpler and quicker, making it as easy as checking your blood pressure. In fact, the new 3D mammography exam is clinically proven to deliver a more comfortable mammogram.^[4]

Two breakthrough innovations which help raise your mammography comfort levels are:

1. Curved Compression Surface:

The curved compression surface mirrors the shape of the breast for a more even compression to improve your experience.

There are also options to have cushioned surfaces to minimize pressure and discomfort during breast compression.

The uniform compression helps achieve good medical images so that even small lesions can be detected in very early stages.

The curved compression surface comes with some new 3D mammography machines as a standard feature.

2. Faster Scanning

Less than 10 seconds are all it takes for the latest 3D mammography machines to capture a mammogram. This minimizes the time duration for which the breast tissue needs to be compressed.

Less time doesn’t mean lower quality images. On the contrary, the latest 3D mammography machines are designed to deliver the fastest and the highest resolution mammograms, also at the lowest radiation dose within the allowable limits.

How does 3D Mammography exam improve image quality besides comfort?

A 3D mammography machine takes many images of your breast tissue from multiple angles from a swinging camera arm compared to older technologies that provide only two images from a stationary arm.

These multiple images help clearer and a more detailed picture to doctors to see through the layered breast tissue and discover any tiny tumor in its early stage that might “hide” from the conventional 2D mammograms or other screening modalities.

Also, the 3D Mammography exams detect 20–65% more invasive breast cancers^[5] and reduce callbacks by 40%^[6] compared to the older technology of 2D alone.

This simply means, a) earlier detection than ever before, and b) less anxiety about unnecessary further testing.^[7]

What should I do next?

That’s a great question. Here are five key recommendations for your immediate consideration.

1. Never miss your annual screening mammography schedule: Mammography has become more comfortable than ever before, as we discussed above. 3D mammography centers too are now available in most Indian cities. It’s a simple day care test at a center near you that doesn’t even need a doctor’s prescription. It’s non-invasive, quick, and very accurate breast cancer screening modality compared to any other alternative as of today. Hence never miss your annual mammography schedule. A stich in time saves nine, as they say.
2. Do not depend on Self Breast Exam for early detection: Most medical organizations across the world do not recommend Self-Breast-Exam for routine screening^[8] because it does not help early detection. By the time the lump is big enough to be felt by your or your doctor’s hands, it’s already too big, and too late in most cases.
3. Even if you don’t have a family history of breast cancer, you need an annual screening: Only 5%-10% of breast cancer cases are associated with a family history^[9]. The vast majority of breast cancers occur due to unknown causes and factors such as environment, lifestyle, obesity, etc. Hence, even if you have no family history of breast or any other cancer, please do get a mammography screening done every year without fail.
4. Even if your last year’s mammogram was normal, you need a mammogram this year: Mammograms do not provide immunity against breast cancer. The past mammograms neither predict nor assure that you will be cancer-free in the future. Also, interval cancers, meaning cancers occurring between two consecutive annual screening mammograms, can suddenly emerge. Hence the medical experts recommend prompt annual mammograms so that cancers can be detected when they are very small in size and very much confined to the breast alone.
5. Annual screening mammograms can substantially reduce your stress & medical expenses: Just like car insurance that you buy every year with a small premium to protect yourself against a potentially large expense due to an accident that may never occur; spending a small amount on mammography every year may help you save 30% to over 100% of the treatment costs of breast cancer compared to the women who present with advanced-stage breast cancers^[10].

Early detection may also qualify you for less invasive treatment options. For example, in early breast cancers, chemotherapy may be completely avoided thereby saving you the costs incurred and its side effects.

Most importantly, a small yearly investment in screening mammography may save immense stress to your loved ones which is a priceless benefit if you agree.

If you are eligible for breast screening either by age (40 years and above), or due to high-risk factors such as family history (in which case even if you are younger than 40 years), subscribe to an Annual Screening Mammography plan – A simple ritual that can save your life!

1. Feig S. Comparison of costs and benefits of breast cancer screening with mammography, ultrasonography, and MRI. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2011 Mar;38(1):179-96, ix. doi: 10.1016/j.ogc.2011.02.009. PMID: 21419333. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21419333/
2. https://www.carolmilgardbreastcenter.org/for-patients/facts-myths/early-detection-is-key/ Accessed on 13 May 2022.
3. https://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/features/mammography-still-gold-standard-for-breast-cancer Accessed on 13 May 2022.
4. Rafferty EA, Durand MA, Conant EF, et al. Breast Cancer Screening Using Tomosynthesis and Digital Mammography in Dense and Nondense Breasts. JAMA. 2016 Apr 26;315(16):1784-6.
5. Friedewald, SM, et al. “Breast cancer screening using tomosynthesis in combination with digital mammography.” JAMA 311.24 (2014): 2499-2507
6. Friedewald SM, Rafferty EA, Rose SL, et al. Breast Cancer Screening Using Tomosynthesis in Combination With Digital Mammography. JAMA. 2014 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/1883018
7. Zuley ML, Bandos AI, Ganott MA, Sumkin JH, Kelly AE, Catullo VJ, Rathfon GY, Lu AH, Gur D. Digital breast tomosynthesis versus supplemental diagnostic mammographic views for evaluation of noncalcified breast lesions. Radiology. 2013 Jan;266(1):89-95. doi: 10.1148/radiol.12120552. Epub 2012 Nov 9. PMID: 23143023; PMCID: PMC3528971. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23143023/
8. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/breast-exam/about/pac-20393237 Accessed on 13 May 2022.
9. Liu L, Hao X, Song Z, Zhi X, Zhang S, Zhang J. Correlation between family history and characteristics of breast cancer. Scientific Reports. 2021;11(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-021-85899-8
10. Feig S. Comparison of costs and benefits of breast cancer screening with mammography, ultrasonography, and MRI. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2011 Mar;38(1):179-96, ix. doi: 10.1016/j.ogc.2011.02.009. PMID: 21419333. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21419333/