Mammogram call-backs: Should you be concerned?

Nearly 67% of American women over 40 reported having a mammogram in the past two years, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). On average, 10% of these women will receive a callback.

“A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast,” explains Dr. Jade de Guzman, a board-certified diagnostic radiologist with Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group. “We’re looking inside the tissue to spot signs of breast cancer, such as a mass or calcifications.”

Why you might get a call-back

Dr. de Guzman says that most women are asked to return for further testing when a new area of concern is found on the mammogram. Being called back after a mammogram may be scary, but Dr. de Guzman says there’s often nothing to worry about.

“The most common reason for a callback is overlapping tissue,” she says. “Approximately 10% of all women who are screened are called back and most of the time, it ends up not being cancer.”

Patients will learn the results of the callback on the day of their appointment.

Possible results include:

• The patient is found to have no abnormality — it was just normal tissue or a benign finding, such as a cyst, and the patient returns to annual screening mammograms.

• There is an abnormality that is likely benign, such as a complicated cyst or characteristically benign solid mass, and the patient is recommended to follow up in six months.

• A biopsy is recommended.

“Additional images can help us better evaluate findings seen on the initial mammogram. It can also be a confirmation of health,” says Dr. de Guzman. “We want to reduce anxiety and provide the highest level of care. To do that, we must take every step to make the right diagnosis.”

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