Breast cancer

What is Mammography?

Choosing a Mammography Facility
Your mammogram is only as good as the equipment used and the health care professionals who take the X-rays. That's why you should make sure you choose a facility certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and accredited by the American College of Radiology. A list of all mammography facilities certified by the FDA is available at the FDA web site.

You should also ask:

• How old is the equipment?
• Are the technologists accredited in mammography by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists?
• Does the center do a large number of mammograms so the radiologists are highly experienced in reading the X-rays and the technologists are highly skilled in performing the mammograms?
• Does the center do stereotactic core breast biopsies (e.g. Mammotone)?

See also:
Questions to Ask Before Cancer Tests

The Yale-New Haven Breast Center
The Yale-New Haven Breast Center includes the following specialties: breast surgery, breast imaging (including screening and diagnostic mammography, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, and breast biopsy services), reconstructive surgery, pathology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and genetic counseling. The Yale-New Haven Breast Center treats the “whole” person, not just the disease.

You can also choose to have a mammogram from one of our three mammography imaging sites at 800 Howard Avenue or 150 Sargent Dr. in New Haven, as well as in Yale-New Haven's traveling mammography van. The center's radiologists and technologists are highly experienced and have advanced credentials in mammography and radiography. Because of the high quality care offered, the center has been accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR). This accreditation means the mammography equipment and the technologists performing mammography exams meet the standards of excellence established by the ACR.

Yale-New Haven Mammography Van
Yale-New Haven Hospital brings mammography to you for greatest convenience. The Mammography Van travels throughout southern Connecticut. Click here for the mammography van schedule. For more information on van location and other mammographic procedures, call (203) 688-6800.

How to Make an Appointment
Call (203) 688-6800, Mon. - Fri., 8 am to 5 pm, to:

• Schedule a mammogram appointment for the van, or at the Yale-New Haven Breast Center, Yale Physician's Building, 800 Howard Ave., New Haven.

Call (203) 688-4212, Mon. - Fri., 8 am to 6 pm and Sat. 10 am to 2 pm, to:

• Schedule a mammogram appointment for the Long Wharf Medical Center, 150 Sargent Drive, New Haven.

Preparing for Mammography
If you have had a mammogram at Yale-New Haven before, your new mammogram will be compared with your old mammogram for any changes. If you had a mammogram at another facility, call them and ask to have those X-rays sent to Yale-New Haven for comparison. Bring with you any information about surgeries, family history of cancer and medications you are taking.

The best time to schedule a mammogram is one week after the beginning of your period. Don't schedule a mammogram the week before your period if you usually experience breast tenderness. The day of your mammogram, do not wear deodorant or powder, which can interfere with the clarity of the image obtained.

What Does a Mammogram Feel Like?
During a mammogram, you will stand near a machine that will take an X-ray of your breast. So that the X-ray picture is of the highest quality, a technologist gently places your breast on a platform. As the machine is lowered your breast is compressed between plates. You may experience a squeezing sensation during this time. The X-ray is taken, the machine is raised and the mammogram is completed. Highly experienced radiologists read all X-rays then send the results to your physician. You will receive a letter directly from the Breast Imaging Center within one week of your screening. If results are abnormal, you may have to have a diagnostic mammogram, an ultrasound or a breast biopsy.

Diagnostic Mammogram
During a diagnostic mammogram, special X-ray images are taken in greater detail of an area that looked abnormal on a screening mammogram. About 10 percent of women who undergo screening mammogram will be referred for a diagnostic mammogram. The diagnostic mammogram is used to decide if:

• the area is normal and the patient can continue with annual screenings
• the area should be watched and an additional mammogram be performed in a few months
• additional testing, such as biopsy, is necessary

Ultrasound
Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to create an image of a part of the body. Ultrasound can be used to evaluate breast health. Radiologists use ultrasound to see whether a breast lump is filled with liquid (a cyst) or is solid. Cysts and solid tumors can require further testing, either through needle aspiration, needle biopsy or surgical biopsy.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
MRI can detect breast cancer. However, because it is more costly and lacks professional standards for widespread use, MRI is not recommended in breast cancer screening.

Breast Biopsy, Needle Biopsy
(Mammotone)
Fine needle aspiration, stereotactic core needle biopsy, MRI localizations, as well as ultrasound guided breast biopsies are performed on an outpatient basis at the Breast Center.

During the stereotactic core needle biopsy, a woman undresses from the waist up and lies on a specialized table. Using X-ray for guidance, a physician inserts a thin needle into the suspicious area and withdraws one or more samples of tissue. The sample is then analyzed under a microscope by experienced pathologists at Yale-New Haven to decide whether cancer is present. The procedure takes about an hour and avoids surgical biopsy for select patients. Appointments and a physician referral are required.

Surgical Biopsy
Women who need a surgical breast biopsy at Yale-New Haven may be seen as outpatients in the Yale-New Haven Breast Center. Surgical biopsies are performed either under local anesthesia or general anesthesia. Surgeons remove the lump or area of concern, then send it to the pathologists for examination. Removing the area of concern may involve a needle localization before undergoing surgery. This involves inserting a needle/wire combination into the breast at the area in question. X-ray films are then taken to be certain that the correct area is localized. The placement of this needle/wire combination helps guide the surgeon in removing the appropriate tissue sample. Though the procedure is more invasive than needle biopsy, the advantage is that the lump or area of concern is removed.

Learn more
For more information about diagnosis procedures for breast disease, visit the YNHH Health Library.

Types of Breast Disease

Benign Problems
There are many kinds of breast problems that are not cancer. If you are over 35, you are more likely to have lumpy breasts, sometimes called fibrocystic breasts. You may notice the lumps more right before your period. These lumps usually go away once you have gone through menopause. If a mammogram or exam reveals a suspicious lump on your breast, there is about a 70 percent chance they are noncancerous cysts or growths.

Breast Cancer
If you or your doctor has felt a lump, or if something is seen on your mammogram, further evaluation will be needed. Tests are performed to ensure the most accurate diagnosis possible.

Learn more
For more information about breast disease, visit the YNHH Health Library.

Cancer Services home page

Treating Breast Cancer
Online physician referral service

Last revised: March 10, 2008 (dh)

Home page URL: http://www.ynhh.org

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