Mammogram
A screening mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. Usually two or three views (pictures) are taken of each breast. While mammograms are not perfect, according to the American Cancer Society, they are considered to be the best tool to find cancers of the breast very early.
Advances in mammography, including the invention of FDA-approved digital mammography, can be credited with detecting 80 percent to 90 percent of breast cancers in women without symptoms. This is particularly effective in screening women who are under age 50, or women of any age who have dense breasts.
This is due to digital mammography’s ability to take an electronic image of the breast and store it directly in a computer, allowing the recorded data to be enhanced, magnified, or manipulated for further evaluation.