I am a breast cancer survivor and have dense breasts. Is a mammogram enough screening for me?

Maybe not. Women who have had breast cancer are more likely to get a second breast cancer. Some of these cancers are hard to see on a mammogram. In women who have had breast cancer, MRI can help find cancers not seen on a mammogram.

You should talk to your health care provider about having an annual MRI in addition to a 2D/3D mammogram if:     

• You were diagnosed with breast cancer by age 50
• If you have a history of breast cancer and dense breasts
• You are younger than 70-75

If MRI cannot be performed, Ultrasound can be used, but it does not find as many cancers as MRI. If you have a screening MRI, a screening Ultrasound is not needed.

A newer breast imaging tool is contrast-enhanced mammography. This may be an option instead of an MRI. It does show more cancers than Ultrasound, but it is not yet widely available.

If you have had both breasts removed (double mastectomy) and are otherwise in good health, mammograms or other breast imaging tests are not recommended unless there is a lump or other change in the area of surgery or your underarm.

For more information, see Q+A “If mammograms miss some cancers in dense breasts, should I still have a mammogram?”

Learn More:

• 5 Facts Every Woman Should Know
• Video Series: Let’s Talk About Dense Breasts
• Patient Risk Checklist (print)
• Patient Questions and Answers