- 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 leukemia
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
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