X-Ray Mammography Standard of Care Protocol

Background:

• X-ray mammography is the standard method for breast cancer screening. It is a noninvasive test using x-rays to take pictures of breast tissue and detect any abnormalities.
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center has a breast imaging unit that has been accredited by the American College of Radiology. To maintain accreditation, the unit must recruit a certain number of women to have clinical mammograms each year in order to maintain a high level of clinical skills and experience for the radiologists and technologists.

Objectives:

• To create a state-of-the-art mammography unit at the NIH Clinical Center in order to maintain American College of Radiology accreditation of the NIH breast imaging facility.

Eligibility:

• Women who are eligible for breast cancer screening because of family cancer history, genetic test results, or previous instances of cancer. Participants may not be pregnant or nursing at the time of the screening.

Design:

• Participants will provide a brief medical history on arrival at the NIH breast imaging unit.
• Each participant will have a standard mammogram performed by a radiology technician.
• If the study is normal, participants will be told that no further evaluation will be performed. If the results indicate a need for further imaging or tissue biopsy, participants may elect to return to the care of their primary physician or to receive further follow-up at the NIH Clinical Center.