Can ultrasound screen for breast cancer?

I am 45 years old and plan to have a cancer screening. Will an ultrasound detect breast cancer? (Ngoc Loan, Can Tho)

Reply:

Breast cancer screening is looking for abnormalities in the breasts of people without symptoms such as tumors, nipple discharge... Imaging tools such as ultrasound, mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) help doctors determine whether the breasts are abnormal or not, and screen for breast cancer.

Ultrasound is a method that uses high-frequency sound waves to penetrate breast tissue. Images and structures inside the breast are formed by echoes from ultrasound. This is a popular, non-invasive, low-cost method that is harmless to the human body.

This method can be applied to people of all ages, and is more effective in screening and diagnosing women with dense breast tissue, which is limited by mammography screening.

Some lesions in breast tissue only appear on a certain ultrasound, mammogram or MRI. Depending on the age of the patient, the doctor will have different indications. Doctors often use ultrasound to look for abnormalities in breast tissue in women under 40 years old. For women 40 years old and older, doctors prescribe mammography combined with ultrasound.

When determining abnormalities in breast tissue, based on morphology such as even or uneven edges, presence or absence of spines, hard or soft elasticity..., the doctor will classify the lesion into the group with the risk of malignancy or benign. After that, the Diagnostic Imaging and Breast Surgery specialist will discuss and decide whether to perform a biopsy to determine malignancy or not.

With the development of science and technology, generations of ultrasound machines have improved image quality, probes have upgraded many functions (elasticity survey, microcircuits...) to help doctors get more accurate images. However, ultrasound alone is not enough to screen for breast cancer.

You should be screened for breast cancer. Depending on your current condition, your doctor may prescribe ultrasound combined with other imaging diagnostic tools such as mammography and MRI for effective cancer screening.

Master, Doctor Huynh Ba Tan
Department of Breast Surgery, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City

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