mammograms

Coronavirus FAQs: Mammograms, Vaccine Ingredients ... And Dogs Who Sniff Masks

10:12pm February 19, 2021

Are there issues with having a mammogram right after a vaccine? Is there a list of vaccine ingredients — some people say they're scary. Also: My pooch loves to sniff discarded masks. Should I worry?

"The optimist in me says in three years we can train this tool to read mammograms as well as an average radiologist," says Connie Lehman, chief of breast imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Health & Safety

Training A Computer To Read Mammograms As Well As A Doctor

8:11am April 01, 2019

by Richard Harris

Artificial intelligence is now being brought to bear on mammograms and could improve the accuracy of diagnoses. But previous computerized technology to do that didn't live up to the hype.

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Britain's Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt arrives at 10 Downing Street in central London on March 13.

British Health Services Failed To Send Mammogram Notices And Some Women May Have Died

6:13pm May 03, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

Nearly half a million English women around age 70 did not get notified that they were due for a mammogram because of a "computer algorithm error," the health secretary says.

Women have gotten conflicting advice from doctors about when to have mammograms.

OB-GYNs Give Women More Say In When They Have Mammograms

3:55pm June 23, 2017

by Katherine Hobson

Updated guidelines on mammograms from the nation's gynecologists are intended to incorporate recommendations from three other medical societies and consider women's preferences, too.

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Mammograms are good at finding lumps, but it can be hard to determine which could become life-threatening and which are harmless.

Danish Study Raises More Questions About Mammograms' Message

5:27pm January 09, 2017

by Rob Stein

Research from Denmark suggests about one-third of lumps detected by routine mammograms would never have become dangerous. That puts women at risk of needless surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.

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Following up a mammogram with an ultrasound exam can find more cancers. But the additional test can also find more false positives that aren't cancer at all.

Do You Need Extra Screening For Breast Cancer? The Picture Is Blurry

5:00am October 07, 2016

by Katherine Hobson

Many women have dense breasts, and they may benefit from other forms of cancer screening beyond mammograms. But none of the options is ideal, and the available data don't make the decision easier.

These two normal mammograms show the difference between a breast with dense tissue, left, and one that is less dense. The dense tissue reads as white, the same color as breast cancer on a mammogram.

Letters Telling Women About Breast Density Are Often Too Darn Dense

3:25pm April 26, 2016

by Patti Neighmond

Half of states require that women who get mammograms be notified if they have dense breasts because they increase cancer risk. But the letters are often jargony and hard to understand, a study finds.

Expanded Medicaid Coverage Means More Women Get Mammograms

12:14pm December 01, 2015

by Lynne Shallcross

Low-income women were 25 percent more likely to get screened for breast cancer in states that expanded their Medicaid programs early under the Affordable Care Act.

The online tool called Breast Screening Decisions explains the risks of screening vs. waiting, and also asks how a woman feels about the options.

Women In Their 40s Get Some Help With The Mammogram Decision

9:10am November 11, 2015

by Katherine Hobson

An online tool asks the right questions to put a woman's breast cancer risk in perspective. It also addresses the emotions that surround cancer screening.

Now? Later? It's definitely not a one-size-fits-all thing.

OK, When Am I Supposed To Get A Mammogram?

3:55pm October 20, 2015

by Lynne Shallcross

The four major advice-givers can't agree on when to start or how long to continue. That leaves women understandably confused. And that doesn't make it easy to decide.