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Screening & findings
Screening means looking for breast cancer in someone who feels perfectly well. It works, which is why the argument is not about whether to do it but about when to start and how often. And if you have found something, or a letter has asked you to come back, the screening guidelines stop applying and a different set of pages takes over. Both start here.
What the American Cancer Society, the US Preventive Services Task Force, the radiologists, and the American College of Physicians each say about when to start and how often, why they disagree, and what Dr. Perkins recommends.
Compare the guidelines →What the twenty minutes are actually like, what to skip on the day, and what it means when a letter asks you to come back.
Read about the appointment →What a density notice means and does not mean, and who should be screened earlier, more often, or with an MRI as well.
Read about density and risk →Idaho Women’s Health Check, the Komen helpline, and what insurance has to cover. Do not skip a mammogram over money.
Find a program →A lump, breast pain, nipple discharge, a callback letter, or breast cancer in the family. Pick the one that fits and see what usually happens next, in order, and what to do tomorrow morning.
Start here →What a needle biopsy is like, how long results take, the four kinds of answer, and what the benign and high-risk findings mean.
Read about biopsies →If you notice a change in your breast, screening guidelines stop applying to you. Guidelines are for people with no symptoms. A new lump, a change in the skin or nipple, or discharge from one side needs a and an appointment, whatever your age and whenever your last mammogram was.
Call the office and ask. There is no wrong reason to call, and no question too small. For what needs a call tonight rather than tomorrow, see when to call, and when to call 911.