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Warning for Women in their 40's About the Dangers of Mammograms
The American College of Physicians Warns Women in Their 40's About the Dangers of Mammograms
Source: NewsTarget.com May 14, 2007
The American College of Physicians has recommended women in their 40s consult with their doctors before
undergoing routine annual mammography screening. An expert panel from the American College of
Physicians (ACP), which represents 120,000 internists, made this recommendation in the April 3rd issue of
the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
After reviewing 117 studies conducted between 1966 and 2005, the panel found the data on mammography
screening for women in their 40s are so unclear that the effectiveness of reducing breast cancer death could
be either 15 percent or "...nearly zero."
The panel pointed out that benefits must be weighed against the harmful effects of mammograms, including
exposure to radiation and unnecessary biopsies, surgery, and chemotherapy.
Dr. Amir Qaseem, lead author of the ACP guidelines, stated "It is important to tailor the decision of screening
mammography by discussing the benefits and risks with a woman, addressing her concerns, and making it a
joint decision between her and her physician." The ACP noted cancer risk varies from woman to woman, and
decisions about annual mammography screenings are best made on a case-by-case basis.
The ACP pointed out for women who have a known high risk of breast cancer (family history or early
menarche, for example) annual screenings are appropriate.
The group is not opposed to mammography, but rather questions the efficacy of annual mammography
exams commencing at age 40. "We agree that mammography can save lives," said Douglas K. Owens of
Stanford University, who chaired the committee that wrote the guidelines, "But there are also potential harms.
We don't think the evidence supports a blanket recommendation."
The dangers of mammography are recognized in the medical field. According to Dr. Samuel Epstein of the
Cancer Prevention Coalition, "Screening mammography poses significant and cumulative risks of breast
cancer for pre-menopausal women. The routine practice of taking four films of each breast annually results
in approximately 1 rad (radiation absorbed dose) exposure, about 1,000 times greater than that from a chest
x-ray. The pre-menopausal breast is highly sensitive to radiation, each 1 rad exposure increasing breast
cancer risk by about 1 percent, with a cumulative 10 percent increased risk for each breast over a decade's
screening. These risks are even greater for younger women subject to 'baseline screening.'"
The coalition reports women who carry the A-T gene are especially prone to risk from early mammography
screening: "Radiation risks are some four-fold greater for the 1 to 2 percent of women who are silent carriers
of the A-T (ataxia-telangiectasia) gene; by some estimates this accounts for up to 20 percent of all breast
cancers diagnosed annually."
"Mammography is used primarily as a tool to recruit new patients into conventional cancer treatments,
regardless of whether they would actually benefit from such treatments," said Mike Adams, author of Natural
Health Solutions and the Conspiracy to Keep You From Knowing About Them. "The breast cancer industry
harms ten women for every one it helps. It is an industry of greed, profits, and scare tactics," Adams added.
At the heart of the current blanket recommendations to begin annual mammography exams at age 40 is the
American Cancer Society (ACS). Robert A. Smith, director of cancer screening at the ACS, responded to the
new recommendations stating, "The danger here is that some women will elect not to get screened.
Mammography is the single most effective way of finding breast cancer early, and when we find breast
cancer early, women have the greatest chance of successful treatment." Just last month the ACS advised
women who are at a perceived "high risk" of breast cancer to also undergo annual MRIs.
Source: NewsTarget.com May 14, 2007
The American College of Physicians has recommended women in their 40s consult with their doctors before
undergoing routine annual mammography screening. An expert panel from the American College of
Physicians (ACP), which represents 120,000 internists, made this recommendation in the April 3rd issue of
the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
After reviewing 117 studies conducted between 1966 and 2005, the panel found the data on mammography
screening for women in their 40s are so unclear that the effectiveness of reducing breast cancer death could
be either 15 percent or "...nearly zero."
The panel pointed out that benefits must be weighed against the harmful effects of mammograms, including
exposure to radiation and unnecessary biopsies, surgery, and chemotherapy.
Dr. Amir Qaseem, lead author of the ACP guidelines, stated "It is important to tailor the decision of screening
mammography by discussing the benefits and risks with a woman, addressing her concerns, and making it a
joint decision between her and her physician." The ACP noted cancer risk varies from woman to woman, and
decisions about annual mammography screenings are best made on a case-by-case basis.
The ACP pointed out for women who have a known high risk of breast cancer (family history or early
menarche, for example) annual screenings are appropriate.
The group is not opposed to mammography, but rather questions the efficacy of annual mammography
exams commencing at age 40. "We agree that mammography can save lives," said Douglas K. Owens of
Stanford University, who chaired the committee that wrote the guidelines, "But there are also potential harms.
We don't think the evidence supports a blanket recommendation."
The dangers of mammography are recognized in the medical field. According to Dr. Samuel Epstein of the
Cancer Prevention Coalition, "Screening mammography poses significant and cumulative risks of breast
cancer for pre-menopausal women. The routine practice of taking four films of each breast annually results
in approximately 1 rad (radiation absorbed dose) exposure, about 1,000 times greater than that from a chest
x-ray. The pre-menopausal breast is highly sensitive to radiation, each 1 rad exposure increasing breast
cancer risk by about 1 percent, with a cumulative 10 percent increased risk for each breast over a decade's
screening. These risks are even greater for younger women subject to 'baseline screening.'"
The coalition reports women who carry the A-T gene are especially prone to risk from early mammography
screening: "Radiation risks are some four-fold greater for the 1 to 2 percent of women who are silent carriers
of the A-T (ataxia-telangiectasia) gene; by some estimates this accounts for up to 20 percent of all breast
cancers diagnosed annually."
"Mammography is used primarily as a tool to recruit new patients into conventional cancer treatments,
regardless of whether they would actually benefit from such treatments," said Mike Adams, author of Natural
Health Solutions and the Conspiracy to Keep You From Knowing About Them. "The breast cancer industry
harms ten women for every one it helps. It is an industry of greed, profits, and scare tactics," Adams added.
At the heart of the current blanket recommendations to begin annual mammography exams at age 40 is the
American Cancer Society (ACS). Robert A. Smith, director of cancer screening at the ACS, responded to the
new recommendations stating, "The danger here is that some women will elect not to get screened.
Mammography is the single most effective way of finding breast cancer early, and when we find breast
cancer early, women have the greatest chance of successful treatment." Just last month the ACS advised
women who are at a perceived "high risk" of breast cancer to also undergo annual MRIs.