(from naturalnews.com)
The experts speak on mammograms and breast cancer:
Regular
mammography of younger women increases their cancer risks. Analysis of
controlled trials over the last decade has shown consistent increases in
breast cancer mortality within a few years of commencing screening.
This confirms evidence of the high sensitivity of the premenopausal
breast, and on cumulative carcinogenic effects of radiation.
The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 539
In his book, "Preventing Breast Cancer," Dr. Gofinan says that breast
cancer is the leading cause of death among American women between the
ages of forty-four and fifty-five.
Because breast tissue is highly
radiation-sensitive, mammograms can cause cancer. The danger can be
heightened by a woman's genetic makeup, preexisting benign breast
disease, artificial menopause, obesity, and hormonal imbalance.
Death By Medicine by Gary Null PhD, page 23
"The risk of radiation-induced breast cancer has long been a
concern to mammographers and has driven the efforts to minimize
radiation dose per examination," the panel explained.
"Radiation can
cause breast cancer in women, and the risk is proportional to dose. The
younger the woman at the time of exposure, the greater her lifetime risk
for breast cancer.
Under The Influence Modern Medicine by Terry A Rondberg DC, page 122
Furthermore, there is clear evidence that the breast,
particularly in premenopausal women, is highly sensitive to radiation,
with estimates of increased risk of breast cancer of up to 1% for every
rad (radiation absorbed dose) unit of X-ray exposure.
This projects up
to a 20% increased cancer risk for a woman who, in the 1970s, received
10 annual mammograms of an average two rads each. In spite of this, up
to 40% of women over 40 have had mammograms since the mid-1960s, some
annually and some with exposures of 5 to 10 rads in a single screening
from older, high-dose equipment.
The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 537
No less questionable—or controversial—has been the use of X rays
to detect breast cancer: mammography. The American Cancer Society
initially promoted the procedure as a safe and simple way to detect
breast tumors early and thus allow women to undergo mastectomies before
their cancers had metastasized.
The Cancer Industry by Ralph W Moss, page 23
The American Cancer Society, together with the American College
of Radiologists, has insisted on pursuing largescale mammography
screening programs for breast cancer, including its use in younger
women, even though the NCI and other experts are now agreed that these
are likely to cause more cancers than could possibly be detected.
The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 291
A number of "cancer societies" argued, saying the tests — which cost
between $50-200 each - - are a necessity for all women over 40, despite
the fact that radiation from yearly mammograms during ages 40-49 has
been estimated to cause one additional breast cancer death per 10,000
women.
Under The Influence Modern Medicine by Terry A Rondberg DC, page 21
Mammograms Add to Cancer Risk—mammography exposes the breast to
damaging ionizing radiation. John W. Gofman, M.D., Ph.D., an authority
on the health effects of ionizing radiation, spent 30 years studying the
effects of low-dose radiation on humans. He estimates that 75% of
breast cancer could be prevented by avoiding or minimizing exposure to
the ionizing radiation from mammography, X rays, and other medical
sources. Other research has shown that, since mammographic screening was
introduced in 1983, the incidence of a form of breast cancer called
ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which represents 12% of all breast
cancer cases, has increased by 328%, and 200% of this increase is due to
the use of mammography.69 In addition to exposing a woman to harmful
radiation, the mammography procedure may help spread an existing mass of
cancer cells. During a mammogram, considerable pressure must be placed
on the woman's breast, as the breast is squeezed between two flat
plastic surfaces. According to some health practitioners, this
compression could cause existing cancer cells to metastasize from the
breast tissue.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 588
In fact the benefits of annual screening to women age 40 to 50,
who are now being aggressively recruited, are at best controversial. In
this age group, one in four cancers is missed at each mammography. Over a
decade of pre-menopausal screening, as many as three in 10 women will
be mistakenly diagnosed with breast cancer. Moreover, international
studies have shown that routine premenopausal mammography is associated
with increased breast cancer death rates at older ages. Factors involved
include: the high sensitivity of the premenopausal breast to the
cumulative carcinogenic effects of mammographic X-radiation; the still
higher sensitivity to radiation of women who carry the A-T gene; and the
danger that forceful and often painful compression of the breast during
mammography may rupture small blood vessels and encourage distant
spread of undetected cancers.
The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 540
Since a mammogram is basically an x-ray (radiation) of the
breast, I do not recommend mammograms to my patients for two reasons: 1)
Few radiologists are able to read mammogams correctly, therefore
limiting their effectiveness. Even the man who developed this technique
stated on national television that only about six radiologists in the
United States could read them correctly. 2)
In addition, each time the
breasts are exposed to an x-ray, the risk of breast cancer increases by 2
percent.
The Hope of Living Cancer Free by Francisco Contreras MD, page 104
Mammography itself is radiation: an X-ray picture of the breast
to detect a potential tumor. Each woman must weigh for herself the risks
and benefits of mammography. As with most carcinogens, there is a
latency period or delay between the time of irradiation and the
occurrence of breast cancer. This delay can vary up to decades for
different people. Response to radiation is especially dramatic in
children. Women who received X-rays of the breast area as children have
shown increased rates of breast cancer as adults. The first increase is
reflected in women younger than thirty-five, who have early onset breast
cancer. But for this exposed group, flourishing breast cancer rates
continue for another forty years or longer.
Eat To Beat Cancer by J Robert Hatherill, page 132
The use of women as guinea pigs is familiar. There is revealing
consistency between the tamoxifen trial and the 1970s trial by the NCI
and American Cancer Society involving high-dose mammography of some
300,000 women. Not only is there little evidence of effectiveness of
mammography in premeno-pausal women, despite NCI's assurances no
warnings were given of the known high risks of breast cancer from the
excessive X-ray doses then used. There has been no investigation of the
incidence of breast cancer in these high-risk women. Of related concern
is the NCI's continuing insistence on premeno-pausal mammography, in
spite of contrary warnings by the American College of Physicians and the
Canadian Breast Cancer Task Force and in spite of persisting questions
about hazards even at current low-dose exposures. These problems are
compounded by the NCI's failure to explore safe alternatives, especially
transillumination with infrared light scanning.
The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 544
High Rate of False Positives—mammography's high rate of
false-positive test results wastes money and creates unnecessary
emotional trauma. A Swedish study of 60,000 women, aged 40-64, who were
screened for breast cancer revealed that of the 726 actually referred to
oncologists for treatment, 70% were found to be cancer free. According
to The Lancet, of the 5% of mammograms that suggest further testing, up
to 93% are false positives. The Lancet report further noted that because
the great majority of positive screenings are false positives, these
inaccurate results lead to many unnecessary biopsies and other invasive
surgical procedures. In fact, 70% to 80% of all positive mammograms do
not, on biopsy, show any presence of cancer.71 According to some
estimates, 90% of these "callbacks" result from unclear readings due to
dense overlying breast tissue.72
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 588
"Radiation-related breast cancers occur at least 10 years after
exposure," continued the panel. "Radiation from yearly mammograms during
ages 40-49 has been estimated to cause one additional breast cancer
death per 10,000 women."
Under The Influence Modern Medicine by Terry A Rondberg DC, page 122
According to the National Cancer Institute, there is a high rate
of missed tumors in women ages 40-49 which results in 40% false negative
test results. Breast tissue in younger women is denser, which makes it
more difficult to detect tumours, so tumours grow more quickly in
younger women, and tumours may develop between screenings. Because there
is no reduction in mortality from breast cancer as a direct result of
early mammogram, it is recommended that women under fifty avoid
screening mammograms although the American Cancer Society still
recommends a mammogram every two years for women age 40-49. Dr. Love
states, "We know that mammography works and will be a lifesaving tool
for at least 30%."
Treating Cancer With Herbs by Michael Tierra ND, page 467
Equivocal mammogram results lead to unnecessary surgery, and the
accuracy rate of mammograms is poor. According to the National Cancer
Institute (NCI), in women ages 40-49, there is a high rate of "missed
tumors," resulting in 40% false-negative mammogram results. Breast
tissue in younger women is denser, which makes it more difficult to
detect tumors, and tumors grow more quickly in younger women, so cancer
may develop between screenings.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 973
Even worse, spokespeople for the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) admit that mammograms miss 25 percent of malignant tumors in women
in their 40s (and 10 percent in older women). In fact, one Australian
study found that more than half of the breast cancers in younger women
are not detectable by mammograms.
Underground Cures by Health Sciences Institute, page 42
Whatever you may be told, refuse routine mammograms to detect
early breast cancer, especially if you are premenopausal.
The X-rays may
actually increase your chances of getting cancer. If you are older, and
there are strong reasons to suspect that you may have breast cancer,
the risks may be worthwhile. Very few circumstances, if any, should
persuade you to have X-rays taken if you are pregnant. The future risks
of leukaemia to your unborn child, not to mention birth defects, are
just not worth it.
The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 305
Other medical research has shown that the incidence of a form of
breast cancer known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which accounts
for 12% of all breast cancer cases, increased by 328% — and 200% of this
increase is due to the use of mammography!
Under The Influence Modern Medicine by Terry A Rondberg DC, page 123
As the controversy heated up in 1976, it was revealed that the
hundreds of thousands of women enrolled in the program were never told
the risk they faced from the procedure (ibid.). Young women faced the
greatest danger. In the thirty-five- to fifty-year-old age group, each
mammogram increased the subject's chance of contracting breast cancer by
1 percent, according to Dr. Frank Rauscher, then director of the
National Cancer Institute (New York Times, August 23, 1976).
The Cancer Industry by Ralph W Moss, page 24
Because there is no reduction in mortality from breast cancer as a
direct result of early mammograms, it is recommended that women under
50 avoid screening mammograms, although the American Cancer Society is
still recommending a mammogram every two years for women ages 40-49. The
NCI recommends that, after age 35, women perform monthly breast
self-exams. For women over 50, many doctors still advocate mammograms.
However, breast self-exams and safer, more accurate technologies such as
thermography should be strongly considered as options to mammography.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 973
In the midst of the debate, Kodak took out full-page ads in
scientific journals entitled "About breast cancer and X-rays: A hopeful
message from industry on a sober topic" (see Science, July 2, 1976).
Kodak is a major manufacturer of mammography film.
The Cancer Industry by Ralph W Moss, page 24
The largest and most credible study ever done to evaluate the
impact of routine mammography on survival has concluded that routine
mammograms do significantly reduce deaths from breast cancer. Scientists
in the United States, Sweden, Britain, and Taiwan compared the number
of deaths from breast cancer diagnosed in the 20 years before mammogram
screening became available with the number in the 20 years after its
introduction. The research was based on the histories and treatment of
210,000 Swedish women ages 20 to 69. The researchers found that death
from breast cancer dropped 44 percent in women who had routine
mammography. Among those who refused mammograms during this time period
there was only a 16 percent reduction in death from this disease
(presumably the decrease was due to better treatment of the malignancy).
Dr Isadore Rosenfeld's Breakthrough Health By Isadore Rosenfeld MD, page 47
In 1993—seventeen years after the first pilot study—the
biochemist Mary Wolff and her colleagues conducted the first carefully
designed, major study on this issue. They analyzed DDE and PCB levels in
the stored blood specimens of 14,290 New York City women who had
attended a mammography screening clinic. Within six months, fifty-eight
of these women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Wolff matched each of
these fifty-eight women to control subjects—women without cancer but of
the same age, same menstrual status, and so on—who had also visited the
clinic. The blood samples of the women with breast cancer were then
compared to their cancer-free counterparts.
Living Downstream by Sandra Steingraber PhD, page 12
One reason may be that mammograms actually increase mortality. In
fact numerous studies to date have shown that among the under-50s, more
women die from breast cancer among screened groups than among those not
given mammograms. The results of the Canadian National Breast Cancer
Screening Trial published in 1993, after a screen of 50,000 women
between 40-49, showed that more tumors were detected in the screened
group, but not only were no lives saved but 36 percent more women died
from
The Cancer Handbook by Lynne McTaggart, page 57
One Canadian study found a 52 percent increase in breast cancer
mortality in young women given annual mammograms, a procedure whose
stated purpose is to prevent cancer. Despite evidence of the link
between cancer and radiation exposure to women from mammography, the
American Cancer Society has promoted the practice without reservation.
Five radiologists have served as ACS presidents.53
When Healing Becomes A Crime by Kenny Ausubel, page 233
Premenopausal women carrying the A-T gene, about 1.5 percent of
women, are more radiation sensitive and at higher cancer risk from
mammography. It has been estimated that up to 10,000 breast cancer cases
each year are due to mammography of A-T carriers.
The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 539
A study reported that mammography combined with physical exams
found 3,500 cancers, 42 percent of which could not be detected by
physical exam. However, 31 percent of the tumors were noninfiltrating
cancer. Since the course of breast cancer is long, the time difference
in cancer detected through mammography may not be a benefit in terms of
survival.
Woman's Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Dr Gary Null, page 86
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also has
called for more mammograms among women over 50. However, constant
screening still can miss breast cancer. mammograms are at their poorest
in detecting breast cancer when the woman is under 50.
The Cancer Handbook by Lynne McTaggart, page 53
Despite its shortcomings, every woman between the ages of fifty
and sixty-nine should have one every year. I also recommend them
annually for women over seventy, even though early detection isn't as
important for the slow-growing form of breast cancer they tend to get.
One mammogram should probably be taken at age forty to establish a
baseline, but how often women should have them after that is debatable.
Some authorities favor annual screening. Others feel there's not enough
evidence to support screening at all before fifty. Still others believe
that every two years is sufficient. I lean toward having individual
women and their doctors go over the pros and cons and make their own
decisions. Finally, a mammogram is appropriate at any age if a lump has
been detected.
The Longevity Code By Zorba Paster MD, page 234
For breast cancer, thermography offers a very early warning system,
often able to pinpoint a cancer process five years before it would be
detectable by mammography. Most breast tumors have been growing slowly
for up to 20 years before they are found by typical diagnostic
techniques. Thermography can detect cancers when they are at a minute
physical stage of development, when it is still relatively easy to halt
and reverse the progression of the cancer. No rays of any kind enter the
patient's body; there is no pain or compressing of the breasts as in a
mammogram. While mammography tends to lose effectiveness with dense
breast tissue, thermography is not dependent upon tissue densities.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 587
