Performance of additional studies prior to biopsy. Compression spot views. Magnification spot views. False Negatives False negatives are cases in which breast cancer is present, not detected on a mammogram or breast exam. Keep in mind that cancer starts as a single abnormal cell that begins to divide in an uncontrolled fashion.
Some cancers grow very quickly, while others progress over a number of years.
At some point in time a cancer invisible by mammography and undetectable by palpation will be detected. In some cases, the cancers appear to have grown for several years before they are detected. This is why an annual mammogram is so critical, and why comparison with a prior mammogram is so important. These two approaches make it easier to detect any small changes due to breast cancer. 7.12.4 Training Physicians Several studies have shown that radiologists who interpret more mammograms will detect cancers better.