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A mammography is an image of the breast that is taken with X-rays. Doctors use mammography to look for signs of breast cancer in its early stages, sometimes up to three years before it can be felt.

Mammography is a screening test that is necessary for all women. It is used to both detect a problem and confirm that everything looks good. How often this exam needs to be done is dependent on age.

Breast cancer is a malignant disease that occurs when the cells of the breast start growing out of control. It can develop in both women and men, although it is much more common in women.

Since the 1990s, dozens of scientific studies have confirmed the usefulness of mammography in detecting breast cancer. The major benefit of this test is that, if done regularly according to your doctor’s orders, problems can be discovered and treated early.

Historically, Latin and Caribbean women postpone preventative exams or don’t even think to do them due to different barriers, from financial to cultural. If there’s no pain, bump, or discomfort, they think that there’s no reason to go to the doctor. That’s why many Latinas get a mammography when the disease is already in an advanced stage and more difficult to treat.

Because of this, breast cancer continues to be the most common cancer in women and the second-leading cause of death in the region.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second-leading cause of death by cancer in women in the Americas. Over 462,000 new cases of breast cancer and almost 100,000 deaths caused by it occur each year in the region.

The United states has the highest incidence of breast cancer in the region, followed by Canada and Martinique. The highest mortality rates are found in Barbados, the Bahamas, Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago.

Countries with a lower GDP --such as Haiti, Nicaragua, and Honduras--  present one death for every 2.5 cases of breast cancer. While in the United States and Canada --the countries with the highest GDP in the region-- one death occurs for every 6.5 cases of breast cancer.

The Pan American Health Organization estimates that by 2030, the prevalence of breast cancer in the Americas will increase, with some 572,000 new cases and some 130,000 deaths.

The increase in new cases and deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean will be almost double that in the United States and Canada.