Myth vs Fact
#1 MYTH
I don’t have symptoms of breast cancer or a family history so I don’t need a mammogram.
#1 FACT
Annual screening mammograms are recommended for ALL women over the age of 40 regardless symptoms or family history. Early detection is critical. Early stage breast cancers have a 5 year survival rate of 99%. Later stages have survival rates of 24%.
#2 MYTH
A mammogram will expose me to unsafe levels of radiation
#2 FACT
The radiation dose of a mammogram is small and is within medical guidelines.
#3 MYTH
A screening mammogram is guaranteed to find any breast type of breast cancer in my breast.
#3 FACT
Annual mammograms are extremely important for women, but there are some limitations. This is mostly due to dense breast tissue which may ‘hide’ or mimic a cancer. Other imaging methods can be used for women with dense breast tissue such as 3D mammography, breast ultrasound or breast MRI.
#4 MYTH
I had a normal mammogram last year so I don’t need another this year.
#4 FACT
Mammography is detection and NOT prevention. Having a normal mammogram does not guarantee future normal ones. Clinical trials have shown a 33% decrease in death from breast cancer in women over 40 who had regular screening mammograms.
#5 MYTH
My doctor didn’t refer me for a mammogram, I cannot schedule one.
#5 FACT
Women over 40 can self-refer for a mammogram. You can call a centre that offers this service and make a booking without a referral letter from a doctor.
#6 MYTH
A mammogram is contraindicated in women below 40.
#6 FACT
Symptomatic women below 40 can have an ultrasound of the breasts with or without a mammogram.