Mammograms are a great way to detect any abnormalities within the breasts. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it was concluded that mammograms can help find any early on stages of abnormalities within the breasts, such as breast cancer, making it easier to treat (CDC 2023), and increasing your chances of overcoming the disease by 25% or more (breastcancer.org 2023). 

Within the beginning stages of breast cancer, there aren't many symptoms that may give any indications of breast cancer. Though self-examinations can help increase the chances of early detection for any lumps or abnormalities, screening mammograms are far more efficient for this purpose, as they are not as thoroughly examined compared to a diagnostic mammogram (Liu, 2018). If done regularly rather than every two years, a screening mammogram may be able to detect breast cancer earlier. In Jamie DePolo's article Breast Cancers Found by Yearly Mammograms Smaller, Less Advanced Than Cancers Found by Mammograms Every 2 Years, DePolo found a research study in which proves that women who get a mammogram done yearly, are more likely to find early stages of breast cancer. The study consists of 232 women and were divided into two groups; the first group consisted of 200 women who got a mammogram done yearly, and the other 32 women got a mammogram done every year-and-a-half to every two years or so. The study showed that less than 25% of women who got a mammogram done yearly were diagnosed with breast cancer, whereas women who got a mammogram done every 2 years were diagnosed with breast cancer by 44% (DePolo 2020).

If any abnormality is found, a diagnostic screening procedure is then done, specifically examining the tissue of the breast. Mammograms are able to detect breast cancer within 87% of women 50 years and older (komen.org), since they can catch abnormalities before they become too advanced, reducing the mortality rate for women within their 50's and older by over 25% (Schopper and de Wolf 2009). In the event the cancer does spread, there are a variety of options provided for the patient; mastectomy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and radiation therapy. A mastectomy is a surgical removal of the breast, mostly recommended as a treatment option of the cancer has become invasive (LeVay et. al. 2021), and to follow up with the surgery, hormonal therapy is given to ensure that the disease does not return (Mayoclinic.org 2023). Chemotherapy is a combination of medicine, and it is then injected into the patient (cancer.org 2021). Radiotherapy- "...a treatment that uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors" (DePolo)- is a painless procedure, killing the cancer cells, and in some cases, healthy cells. The main goal of radiotherapy is to get rid of the cancer cells, as they are more damaging and are less likely to reproduce when damaged (DePolo). When taking action of getting a mammogram done, a patient can avoid having such procedures done.