What happens if the mammogram finds something?

If a mammogram is ‘positive’, which means that a radiologist has noticed something unusual or different from a woman’s last mammogram, the woman should hear from the breast screening unit very soon. If there are grounds for concern, a woman may be referred to a surgeon for a tissue sample (or ‘biopsy) of the detected abnormality/mass in order to check it for cancerous cells under a microscope. Seventy percent of biopsies turn out to be benign, and in most cases a surgeon will take only a tiny piece of tissue which leaves no scar. However, if a mass looks particularly threatening the entire lump may be removed.  more