Regular mammograms cut the risk of dying from breast cancer in half. Here's what to expect at yours

Illustrated collage of a woman waiting for a mammogram (Credit: Illustration by Rita Liu)

When it comes to preventing breast cancer, early detection is key, which is why regular mammograms are so important. According to the American College of Radiology, mammograms have reduced breast cancer mortality by 40% since 1990. 

“Mammograms are very important in detecting breast cancer at its earliest stages,” says Dr. Toma Omofoye, a breast radiologist and associate professor in the Department of Breast Imaging at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. “Breast cancer that is detected in mammography before it can be felt typically is a disease that is much easier to treat. It’s at a lower stage, has a less intensive course of treatment, or a much shorter course of treatment that may not need to have the whole gamut of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.”