Breast cancer is one of the common cancers in women, second only to cervical cancer, and its incidence is on the rise. In some regions, breast cancer accounts for the first place of malignant cancers in women, mostly seen in women aged 35 to 55, there is no discomfort in the early stage of breast cancer, and when the lump is detected through self-examination, it is usually larger, about 1 cm in diameter; and calcified spots less than 1 mm in diameter can be detected through high frequency mammograms (30% of malignant lesions are detected by mammography. (30% of malignant lesions appear as piles of small, sandy calcified dots.) The growth time from the time the lump shows up on the radiograph to the time it can be detected on palpation is about two years or more. Therefore, if a woman receives a high-frequency x-ray once a year, a lump can be detected years earlier than if she performs a self-examination. In addition, cancerous tumors growing deep in the breast are usually difficult to palpate and can only be detected by x-ray. What are the benefits of detecting early breast cancer? 1. Improved survival rate. Several studies have proven that women who undergo mammography screening as recommended by the American Cancer Society have a 30% – 50% higher survival rate after breast cancer is cured than women who do not undergo such screening. 2. Treatment is easier and relatively less expensive. Early stage breast cancer can be cured by surgery to remove the cancerous tumor and supplemented with radiation therapy; while in advanced stage, radical mastectomy plus chemotherapy is necessary. At this time, patients go through many painful treatment procedures, which are expensive and cause lifelong deformities. 3. It can reduce the recurrence rate. When should I start mammograms? Mammograms should be taken once a year for women over 40 years old. It is reported that the second generation of breast cancer patients develop this cancer 10 years earlier than the general population, so women with family history can be screened earlier.