The American Cancer Society recommends a screening program that begins with a baseline mammogram at age 40, and a mammogram every year thereafter. Lumps or masses in the breast are not unusual, and most of them are not cancer. Some breast masses can be felt during a breast exam. Others are detectable only by mammogram, a breast X-ray. How a mass is detected does not determine whether it is cancerous.
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women.
It is uncommon before age 30, and the risk increases after menopause. The number of cases of breast cancer diagnosed annually is on the rise, possibly because more cases are detected by women getting regular mammograms. The good news is that breast cancer survival also is increasing, due to earlier detection and advances in treatment.