Film or Megapixel: Mammograms Make a Difference 

Mammograms save lives. Every woman 40 and older should have one. There's no debate about that.

Where there is debate in mammography is in the format of the pictures: film or digital.

At Pen Bay Healthcare, mammograms are overseen by the staff of the Radiology Department, which uses film mammography and believes, as studies have shown, that film mammography remains the best way to help detect cancer in most women. It is important to remember that the type of mammogram that's best for an individual woman depends on her age, tissue density and other criteria.

Both digital and conventional mammography use x-ray radiation to produce an image of the breast; however, conventional mammography stores the image directly on film, whereas digital mammography takes an electronic image of the breast and stores it directly in a computer.

The difference between conventional mammography and digital mammography is like the difference between a traditional film camera and a new digital camera. Aside from the difference in how the image is recorded and stored, there is no other difference between the two.

Studies have shown that digital mammography is most valuable for the small group of women who meet three criteria, the most significant of which is that they have dense breast tissue. For everyone else, film mammography is the preferred method of picture-taking.

At Pen Bay Healthcare, each mammogram is read by two radiologists. This is called "double-reading" and few other hospitals in Maine do it.

Eric Schenk, a primary care physician based in Rockport, says double-reading sets PBMC apart from other hospitals in a most significant way. Having two qualified radiologists look over the same film is a very important kind of diagnostic tool, says Schenk.

"From a primary care standpoint, it is absolutely a great thing," he said.

While mammograms don’t prevent breast cancer, they do help a doctor find it much earlier, while it is more treatable. A mammogram can identify a lump up to two years before it will become large enough for a woman to feel it. When breast cancer is found early, the five-year survival rate is greater than 95 percent. Additionally, finding breast cancer early enables more women to select treatment options that allow them to keep their breasts.

Most studies show that digital and film mammography have very similar screening accuracy.

Women who meet all three of the following criteria are best served by film mammogram.

• Age 50 or older
• Do not have dense or heterogeneously dense (very dense) breast tissue
• Are not menstruating

Women who meet these criteria may be best served by a digital mammogram.

• Younger than 50
• Have heterogeneously dense or extremely dense breasts (any age)
• Are pre- or perimenopausal women of any age (defined as women who had a last menstrual period within 12 months of their mammograms)