Why Are Mammograms Vital For One s Health - 1582 Words

Why are mammograms vital to one s health? The most important reason why is because mammography detects breast cancer. Around 12% of women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer (BreastCancer.Org, 2016). The most common type of breast cancer is called invasive ductal carcinoma. This type of breast cancer is found in 80% of women (BreastCancer.Org, 2015). Invasive ductal carcinoma remains to be a serious problem for men and women, and here is why. This type of breast cancer begins in the milk ducts of the breast. At first, there are normal cells, but then a mutation occurs. Some kind of carcinogen damages and changes a couple of genes. The mutated genes associated with breast cancer are Genes BrCA1 and BrCA2. The†¦show more content†¦Invasive carcinoma is the spreading of mutated cells that can travel to the lymph nodes and blood vessels and lead to other significant health problems. There are four different types of invasive ductal carcinoma; medullary duct al carcinoma, mucinous ductal carcinoma, papillary ductal carcinoma, and tubular ductal carcinoma. All of these are less common than invasive ductal carcinoma. Medullary ductal carcinoma is a rare type of cancer found in about 3% to 5% of cases. The main difference in this type of breast cancer is that the tumor feels more spongy than the usual lump. Mucinous ductal carcinoma has a better prognosis than the other types of invasive carcinomas. This carcinoma arises when the breast cancer cells produce mucous. The cells and mucous join together and form a tumor (Johns Hopkins, 2016). Papillary ductal carcinoma is rarely treated as an invasive carcinoma, because it doesn t become invasive. This type of cancer is more like ductal carcinoma in situ. Tubular ductal carcinoma makes up 2% all of diagnoses of breast cancer. It consists of estrogen receptor positive cancers that respond to hormones (Johns Hopkins, 2016). All of these different types of invasive ductal carcinoma begin with a m utated cell that leads to the signs and symptoms of developing breast cancer. By receiving a regular mammogram you can treated for breast cancer before any of the major signs and symptoms appear. If you are under forty years of age; a mammogram isn