Mammography uses low-dose X-rays to screen for early signs of breast cancer. Regular screening is important for improving health outcomes, making scheduled appointments a commitment. However, a common illness like a cold can occur unexpectedly just before an appointment. The decision to proceed with a mammogram while sick depends entirely on the severity of the symptoms and the potential impact on image quality and diagnostic accuracy.
When to Proceed with a Mild Cold
If symptoms are minimal, such as a slight tickle in the throat, a minor runny nose, or feeling slightly under the weather without a fever, the screening can typically proceed. The procedure requires the patient to hold a specific position and remain completely motionless while the breast tissue is compressed and the image is captured. If the cold symptoms are mild enough that they do not cause involuntary movement, the process should be successful. Patients should wear a face mask upon entering the facility and immediately inform the technologist about their mild symptoms. This communication allows staff to take necessary precautions and confirm the patient is comfortable enough to cooperate fully with the imaging process.
Practical Reasons for Rescheduling
More pronounced cold or flu symptoms create significant challenges that make a successful mammogram difficult. The imaging process requires a steady breath hold for several seconds and absolute stillness while the breast is compressed. Uncontrollable coughing or sneezing episodes cause the body to jerk or move, which blurs the resulting X-ray image. Blurry images are diagnostically useless, forcing the technologist to repeat the compression and exposure, which prolongs the procedure.
Severe congestion also affects the patient’s ability to remain still and comfortable during compression. Attending the appointment with a significant respiratory illness, especially one accompanied by a fever, risks transmitting the infection to staff and other patients. Since clinical settings often include immunocompromised individuals, rescheduling is a high priority. If symptoms prevent the patient from holding still, the screening should be postponed until the cold has fully resolved to ensure a high-quality initial image.
How Infections Can Affect Imaging Results
An active infection, even a common cold, triggers an immune system response that impacts mammogram interpretation. Immune cells collect in the lymph nodes, causing them to swell, a process called lymphadenopathy. A cold often causes swelling in the axillary lymph nodes, which are located in the armpit and are visible on a mammogram. Since this area is where breast cancer often spreads, swollen nodes are a potential concern for the interpreting radiologist.
A radiologist seeing enlarged lymph nodes cannot definitively distinguish between a benign immune response and a possible sign of malignancy based on the mammogram alone. This ambiguity can lead to a recommendation for follow-up imaging, such as an ultrasound or a short-term follow-up mammogram. To prevent unnecessary anxiety and additional testing, it is advisable to wait two to four weeks after a cold or any recent immune-stimulating event, such as a vaccination. Informing the technologist of a recent infection or vaccination is important, even if the appointment was not delayed.