It can detect tumors at their earliest, most curable stage, when they are too small for you or your doctor to feel. Your first, or baseline mammogram will present a picture of what is normal for you and is used as a reference. Future mammograms will be compared to your previous mammograms to see if any changes have taken place in your breasts. A mammogram is a quick and simple procedure. While you are standing, a technologist helps you place your breast on a small platform.
Compression is applied to the breast to prevent movement and get a clear picture.
Typically two x-rays are taken of each breast, one form the top and one from the side. Breast Ultrasound Ultrasound works by sending high-frequency sound waves into the breast. Ultrasound, which is painless and harmless, can distinguish between tumors that are solid and cysts which are filled with fluid. Sonograms of the breast can also help radiologists to evaluate some lumps that can be felt but are hard to see on a mammogram, especially in the dense breasts of young women. Unlike mammograms, ultrasound cannot detect microcalcifications that sometimes indicate cancer, nor does it pick up small tumors.