What does the mammogram detect?
The mammogram detects abnormal areas or changes in the breasts. These include calcifications, which are tiny mineral deposits within breast tissue and may look like small white spots on film. They may or may not be caused by cancer. Another abnormal change is a mass in the breast. A mass can be a simple cyst (non-cancerous, fluid-filled sac) or a non-cancerous tumor, or it could be cancer. The radiologist will examine the X-ray images to determine if further testing is needed.
