Do you have breast implants and worry they will prevent you from getting an accurate mammogram? Have you avoided mammography completely since receiving implants because you’re afraid they will rupture during an exam? If so, rest assured that even though breast implants do add some challenges to mammography, trained doctors and technicians have the expertise to conduct a thorough, accurate mammogram on women who’ve undergone breast augmentation.
How Do Breast Implants Affect Mammography?
As a woman with them, it’s important to know that implants do hinder getting a complete view of breast tissue during mammography. Implants that are placed under the chest muscles are much less likely to interfere with a mammogram than those placed above the chest muscles.
Breast implants contain silicone or gel that shows up as a white, opaque mass on a mammogram. Various studies show that between 15 to over 50 percent of breast tissue is obscured by implants. The implant can press down or displace natural tissue, making it harder for doctors to notice calcifications, distorted tissue, and dense, small tumors. Further, scarring near the implants causes the buildup of harmless calcifications that mimic the look of cancer masses.
Should I Get a Mammogram if I Have Breast Implants?
Yes. Even though they cause some challenges in mammography, getting a scan is your best chance for detecting early stage breast cancer. Since mammograms became the standard in the early 1990s, the death rate for women with breast cancer has plummeted by 33 percent.
First, the technician will take four scans of each breast instead of the standard two. Second, This scan can improve the accuracy of the mammogram by up to 92 percent.
Do Breast Implants Increase My Chance of Getting Cancer?
Not at all. In fact, various studies have shown that women with them actually have a lower rate of breast cancer than the general population.
While there are unproven theories about why the incidence of it is lower for women with them, the prevailing wisdom is that the implants themselves are not the reason. It is possible that women with implants have a reduced cancer risk because most tend to be thin (obese women are at much greater risk) and are from a higher socioeconomic group with greater access to good nutrition, exercise, and preventative health screenings.
Should I Get a Mammogram if I Have Breast Implants?
Yes. Even though they cause some challenges in mammography, getting a scan is your best chance for detecting early stage breast cancer. Since mammograms became the standard in the early 1990s, the death rate for women with breast cancer has plummeted by 33 percent.
