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Breast Imaging can include mammograms, ultrasound and MRI. The American Cancer Society recommends screening mammograms yearly after the age of 40. This has resulted in a trend towards the detection of early breast cancer. If a patient is having a breast complaint, the mammogram is no longer considered a screening test, but rather a diagnostic test. A diagnostic mammogram will often focus on the area of the patient's complaint. An ultrasound is often done as well, for lumps and focal areas of pain, as well as to help clarify an area of abnormality seen on a mammogram. Breast MRI is considered only for screening in young women who carry the breast cancer gene. Clinical trials are available looking at screening MRI in other high risk women. A "diagnostic" MRI can occasionally be helpful to the surgeon when planning surgery to determine the extent of certain types of breast cancer.
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