Question

Differentiate between various screening methods for breast cancer.

Answer 1

Screening tests are used to look for signs of diseases such as breast cancer before a person has symptoms. Various screening methods for breast cancer are as follows :-

1) Mammography :- It is the most common screening test for breast cancer in which X - rays are used to take pictures of breast tissue. It may find tumors that are too small to feel. It may also find ductal carcinoma in situ. It is less likely to find breast tumors in women with dense breast tissue because both tumors and dense tissue appear white on a mammogram.

2) Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( MRI ) :- This procedure uses magnetic and radio waves for screening women who have a high risk of breast cancer.

3) Breast Examination :- A clinical breast examination is an examination of the breast by a doctor or other health professional. He or she will carefully feel the breasts and under the arms for lumps or anything else that seems unusual.

4) Thermography :- It is a procedure in which a special camera that senses heat is used to record the temperature of the skin that covers the breasts. Tumors can cause temperature changes that may show up on the thermogram.

5) Tissue sampling :-

In this procedure, Cells from breast tissue is taken to check under a microscope.