What's The Difference Between Screening & Diagnostic Mammograms?

Dr. Harness explains the difference between a screening mammogram and a diagnostic mammogram. Dr. Jay Harness is the former President of the American Society of Breast Surgeons at St. Joseph Hospital Comprehensive Breast Center.

Dr. Harness:
Screening mammograms are done strictly for annual screening of patients that have no symptoms, meaning they do not feel any lumps in their breasts, they are not having a nipple discharge, things of that sort, and we know that screening mammograms save lives, we know we can find non-palpable cancers with screening mammograms, etc. Again, the dose of radiation that you get is very, very tiny, and people do not need to worry about that. A diagnostic mammogram is when you have a symptom in the breast, again a lump in the breast, a nipple discharge, some sort of asymmetry enlargement of the breast, something where there are symptoms, diagnostic mammograms alert the radiologist to focus on a particular area, and particularly the technologist who is doing the mammograms will focus on your area of concern, often put a little BB (a radiopaque marker) right over that area so they may get some extra views and may go on and do an ultrasound, things of that sort.

About Dr. Harness. M.D.:
Dr. Jay Harness is the Director at St. Joseph Hospital Comprehensive Breast Center. Practicing medicine for 35 years, Dr. Harness specializes in general surgery and medical oncology. Graduating medical school from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, he conducting his internship and residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Recognized nationally and internationally for his work in breast and endocrine surgery, Dr. Harness is the immediate past-President of The American Society of Breast Surgeons and is President-elect of Breast Surgery International. Dr. Harness can assist patients in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

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