Contrast Enhanced Mammography and What are the Benefits?
At Excel Lab, our mammography center in Islamabad, we have been using contrast enhanced digital mammography (CEM) to help diagnose breast cancer for over five years now. And we are very happy with the results that this technology has brought to our patients. But what are the benefits of CEM? Read on to find out!
The 2016 guidelines for breast cancer screening
MAMMOGRAMS, COSMETIC SURGERY, DIAGNOSTIC LAB TESTS and other screening options available to you. The newest guidelines for breast cancer screening and treatment in 2016, released by a panel of oncologists at the Excel Lab Islamabad, confirmed that annual mammograms should continue to be used as a tool to find breast cancers early if women decide they want to go through with it.
Why is contrast use in mammography?
The purpose of a contrast agent is to increase the visibility of target tissues by enhancing their X-ray opacity. When used in conjunction with mammograms, contrast-enhanced mammography can potentially decrease misdiagnosis rates and help doctors detect tumors earlier.
On than they normally, which is extremely beneficial because early detection has been shown to increase survival rates and decrease risk of metastasis.
How does it improve my cancer detection rate and help with diagnosing breast cancer?
An excel lab test called Contrast Enhanced Mammography is a promising tool for distinguishing cancer from non-cancer lesions, improving diagnostic accuracy and reducing false positives in screening patients. This test can differentiate between early breast cancer and benign breast tumors through their different protein composition.
Especially targeting differences in how certain proteins are present on cell surfaces. Some of these specific surface proteins may be used as molecular markers to better identify risk factors. For breast cancer such as BRCA gene mutations and they can even help differentiate between subtypes of breast cancer.
Why should I choose a center that uses this technology?
If you’re deciding whether to have a mammogram, you’ve probably seen posters for breast cancer awareness campaigns stating that mammograms can save your life. This is true, but there are more benefits than just preventing death from breast cancer!
There may be some risks associate with using this technology
The biggest risk of contrast enhanced mammography is a reaction to one of its components, called iodine. Some people have mild reactions, such as redness or a rash where they got their X-ray.
Severe reactions, such as a sudden drop in blood pressure when you get up from your examination table and dizziness, can occur but are very rare. Most women do not experience any kind of side effect or reaction at all when they have their mammogram with contrast enhancement.
Is there anything else I should know before making my decision about this technology?
Yes, contrast enhanced mammography can be much more effective than traditional mammogram when it comes to catching cancers earlier on and limiting your exposure to radiation at the same time.
In fact, many other countries (as well as many U.S. states) have already switched to exclusively using these advanced imaging techniques as part of their screening programs because they’re just so much better at catching tumors than regular mammograms alone!
Why it’s important to have an open conversation with your doctor about all your options
If you’re a woman, you’ve probably heard a lot about mammograms. Doctors typically recommend them as an important part of annual cancer screenings for women over 50, and some places even require that women in their 40s get them. You may have even heard about contrast enhanced mammograms but what do they mean?
