I've Recently Read Somewhere That A Mammogram Can Sometimes Get It Wrong. Is This True?

Mammograms have been known to get their readings wrong which has led to some extremely rare cases where patients have had surgery only to find they never really had breast cancer. However, this really doesn't happen a lot and usually mammograms are quite accurate.

The mammogram detects any abnormalities in the breast which you may not be able to see or feel yourself. Not all these abnormalities are cancerous however, and it has been shown that anything from one to three out of four cases is not actually malignant. Also, not all breast cancers are found on the mammogram as it finds it hard to detect around 10% of cancers in the breast.

Overall, although there is a chance that a mammogram will get it wrong, generally it is still the best method of checking for breast cancer in the early stages. Even if the abnormality that the mammogram finds is not malignant, wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry?

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