LUMBERTON — Mammograms give women a crucial head start on finding breast cancer early, when treatment is often most effective. They can detect tumors that are still too tiny to feel and identify cancers before symptoms start.

Still, although they’ve saved countless lives, these breast X-rays aren’t perfect.

Mammograms may miss about 20 percent of all breast cancers, the National Cancer Institute reports. They can also cause false alarms by indicating abnormalities that turn out not to be cancer.

As a result, women may undergo unnecessary — and often anxiety-producing — additional testing, including biopsies.

A newer type of mammogram, however, may help overcome these flaws and improve the accuracy of breast cancer screening. It’s called three-dimensional, or 3-D, mammography.

During a 3-D mammogram, a woman’s breast is compressed, just as it is for a standard mammogram. An X-ray machine moves over the breast, taking multiple, slice-like pictures. Special computer software then creates a detailed 3-D image of the breast.

Research suggests that 3-D mammograms have the potential to:

— Improve the ability of doctors to accurately diagnose breast cancer.

— Find small tumors that may have remained hidden on a conventional mammogram.

— Provide clearer images of abnormalities in dense breasts. Women who have dense breasts — defined as breasts that have a lot of fibrous or glandular tissue and not much fat — are at a slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer.

— Greatly reduce the number of women called back for further testing because of false alarms.

“Three-D mammography will save lives through a higher cancer detection rate,” said Dr. Jim Parker, Southeastern Radiology Associates radiologist. “We should find approximately two additional cancers per 1,000 women that we screen. At our current screening volumes, that’s about 20 additional women diagnosed and treated per year, giving those women the best chance possible for a cure.”

To schedule a 3-D mammogram, call Southeastern Radiology Associates at 910-671-4000.

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Staff report