Breast cancer screening
Breast health experts at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) provide breast cancer screenings and can help you figure out which screenings are right for you based on your age, health, risk level, and other factors.
Screening tests are done on a regular schedule in women without any breast cancer symptoms. They identify signs that might otherwise go unnoticed.
That’s important because the earlier we detect the disease, the better. Women with smaller, early-stage breast cancer have more treatment options and a better chance for a cure.
Why choose SCCA for screenings
The breast cancer screening tests we recommend—mammography and, for some women, breast MRI—are based on the best scientific evidence, like all the care SCCA provides.
- SCCA is recognized as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.
- You can feel confident about being screened at SCCA because the expert technologists and radiologists who perform and interpret your tests specialize in breast imaging exclusively. Our radiologists are UW Medicine doctors.
- We use leading-edge technology, like 3D mammography, and are actively engaged in research to improve breast cancer early detection with imaging.
- To put your mind at ease, you have the option to select an appointment where we’ll give you the results of your screening the same day.
- If your radiologist recommends a biopsy to check tissue that might be abnormal, we offer same-day biopsy services.
Mammography
Screening mammograms are the most common and most studied screening test for breast cancer. They save lives by identifying cancers early.
- A mammogram uses X-rays to produce images of your breast so a radiologist can see abnormalities that may be too small for you or your health care provider to feel.
- At SCCA, we use the most advanced mammographic technology, called 3D mammography or digital breast tomosynthesis.
- 3D mammography takes many pictures of your breast at once. This means better odds of finding true cancers early and fewer false alarms (suspecting cancer in tissue that’s actually healthy).
- Once you have a mammogram, you may learn you have dense breasts. As this information may be confusing, here is information on breast density and what you should know.
Locations
We offer four convenient locations:
- SCCA Women's Center at SCCA South Lake Union
- SCCA Mammogram Van (various locations)
- UWMC-Roosevelt
- UW Eastside Specialty Center
Schedule a mammogram or breast MRI
Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Breast MRI is a powerful tool for detecting breast cancer and planning the best treatments for women newly diagnosed with the disease. MRI is an important additional screening test for some women. A breast MRI uses strong magnetic fields, rather than X-rays, to image the breast. It can help detect breast cancers that are harder to see on a mammogram.
- In general, a screening breast MRI is useful, along with a mammogram, if you are at higher risk of developing breast cancer.
- SCCA radiologists are experts at obtaining high-quality breast MRI images and identifying which women will benefit the most from MRIs.
- We also conduct breast MRI research and clinical trials that examine how to best use this technology.
Other breast imaging tests
SCCA experts constantly assess the latest scientific evidence about the best ways to screen for breast cancer, so you can be certain the benefits outweigh the risks for any test we offer.
Mammography and MRI are the most proven ways to detect breast cancers with imaging.
You may hear about other imaging tests being used or studied to screen women with dense breasts. None of these other tests have been proven to save lives. That’s why doctors at SCCA do not routinely recommend them for most women.
These are the most common screening tests you may hear about other than mammography and breast MRI:
- Screening ultrasound: Ultrasound is an excellent tool to better look at a lump or a suspicious area found on a mammogram. But it is generally not as useful for screening women who do not have symptoms. That’s because it causes many more false alarms (suspicious areas that turn out not to be cancer) compared to the number of actual cancers it detects. At SCCA, we use screening ultrasound mainly for women who are at high risk and cannot have an MRI due to other medical issues.
- Molecular breast imaging, including breast-specific gamma imaging (BGSI) (also called scintimammography) and positron emission mammography (PEM): Compared to mammography, these technologies expose women to higher radiation doses, which may carry health risks. Though some centers already offer BGSI and PEM, more research is needed to determine how we should use these tests.
- Abbreviated or FAST MRI: This shorter version of breast MRI may help detect cancer in women with dense breasts when used along with mammograms. We are actively studying this technology to determine who might benefit.
- Contrast-enhanced mammography: Injecting a contrast agent into your bloodstream before your mammogram might help detect cancer. The contrast agent, which lights up in the image, collects more easily in areas with unusually high blood flow, like tumors. We will be studying this type of test.
- Thermography: SCCA does not offer thermography examinations, in accordance with the Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation against its use as an alternative to mammography.
Breast self-exam and awareness
You can help detect breast cancer by being aware of how your breasts normally feel and seeing your health care provider about any changes you notice. Many breast cancers today are self-detected.
In the United States, for every 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer:
- Six were diagnosed because they had a screening test, like a mammogram, that detected abnormal tissue, even though they had no signs or symptoms.
- Four were diagnosed because the woman or her health care provider felt a lump or noticed another sign or symptom and had it evaluated.