Mammograms save lives by detecting breast cancer while it’s in its most treatable stage -- but they may be able to detect more than cancer. Promising new research shows that a mammogram could also detect heart disease without any change in the way they’re done or any extra cost. Mammography has reached a new level of detail. The images captured usually show areas with extra calcium deposits, depending on their appearance they can suggest early cancer -- they can be harmless. Or, if they are in the arteries of the breast, they can suggest a problem with calcifications in other areas of the body, like the heart.
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