ABUS Shows What Dense Breasts Hide

An automated whole-breast ultrasound (ABUS) is a pain-free, noninvasive test that uses sound waves to look deep inside your breasts for evidence of breast cancer and other abnormalities. You can get an ABUS even if you have saline or silicone breast implants.

However, ABUS doesn’t replace your yearly mammogram. Your doctor only orders ABUS if you have dense breast tissue that might obscure possible cancers.

At Mass Medical Imaging, Joseph Calandra, MD, and Karen Mass, MD, may order ABUS if your screening mammogram reveals that your breast density is too high for confident findings from a mammogram alone. We administer mammograms, ABUS, and other breast tests at our Lake Forest, Illinois, office.

Why might you need an ABUS after a mammogram, and what could it show? Following is a brief description of why an ABUS might save your life if you have dense breasts.

A mammogram alone might not be sufficient

Mammograms are still the gold standard for identifying changes in your breast that could indicate the presence of cancer, including lumps and tumors. A mammogram is a black-and-white X-ray that takes 2-D pictures of your breasts from multiple angles.

When your breasts comprise primarily fatty tissue, an abnormal mass is easily identified on a mammogram. Fatty tissue appears dark on your mammogram. Masses, lumps, and tumors stand out as white spots on an otherwise gray, dark gray, or black background.

The more glandular tissue you have in relation to your fatty tissue, the harder it is to see those potentially dangerous masses. Unlike fatty tissue, glandular tissue appears much brighter and whiter on a mammogram.

The more glandular tissue you have, the whiter your mammogram. That makes it difficult to impossible to spot those bright white abnormalities.

Density is divided into four categories:

• A - mostly fatty tissue
• B - scattered areas of dense (i.e., glandular) tissue
• C - more dense than fatty tissue
• D - extremely dense

We usually order an ABUS if you fall into categories C or D.

What an ABUS “sees”

Like a mammogram, ABUS results in a black-and-white image with many shades of gray. However, unlike a mammogram, the images are three-dimensional, which allows the technician to visualize areas behind and between dense tissue.

The ABUS uses sound waves to create a 3-D picture of your breast from multiple angles. The technician then creates “slices” to look through multiple layers of your breast. A mammogram can’t “see” that deeply into your breast if your tissues are dense.

An ABUS can detect up to 30% more cancer than mammograms alone in women with dense breast tissue. The sooner we find any mass or abnormality in your breast, the sooner we can determine if it’s cancer and then design a treatment plan that gives you the best possible chance of long-term survival.

Why earlier is better

A breast cancer diagnosis is always scary. However, your odds of long-term survival are much higher than before early detection and modern treatments. Treatments continue to improve, which improves your odds, too.

Of course, the earlier a cancer is caught, the more likely we can stop it in its tracks. The small tumors and masses that might be missed with mammogram alone can be identified with ABUS so we can remove the cancer and give you the treatment you need.

When we find cancer early, before it metastasizes (i.e., spreads) to other areas of your body, you could have a 5-year relative survival rate of 99%. That means you’re 99% as likely to live for at least five years as a woman who doesn’t have breast cancer.

Do you have dense breasts? Find out how combining mammograms with ABUS gives you the best chance possible of early breast cancer detection and cure by calling our helpful team or using our online appointment form to book a bone-density test today.