| Mammography is a big business nowadays and is | | | | much there. |
| being touted as an answer to breast cancer | | | | Radiation is a risk factor for the cancer of the breast. |
| prevention. In fact mammography does not prevent | | | | Mammogram usage involves forcefully squashing the |
| it but only detects it. Countless advertisements and | | | | breast and shooting radiation through it. Proponents |
| physicians are advising women to undergo this | | | | of this procedure claim that mammography detects |
| procedure. But real value of this procedure is far | | | | breast cancer tumors one year earlier than simple |
| from clear. Many women were diagnosed with breast | | | | palpation such as self breast examination. For cancer |
| cancer that was not detected by mammography and | | | | cells to become large enough to be detected by |
| opposite is equally true. There is a high risk of false | | | | palpation the cancer must have been growing for at |
| positive and false negative findings with this | | | | least 10 years. If mammogram detects it then the |
| procedure. The entire procedure of mammography | | | | cancer must have been growing for at least nine |
| can be unpleasant and the procedure by itself | | | | years. This can hardly be termed as early detection. |
| involves radiation which is potentially harmful. | | | | It is of no use detecting it after 9 years. May be if it |
| Radiation is a risk factor and it can be logically | | | | was detected much earlier the response to the |
| assumed that mammography triggers breast cancer. | | | | treatment would be much better and the breast |
| Various studies have estimated that women who | | | | cancer treatment by itself would not be so traumatic. |
| received many diagnostic X rays and radiations had | | | | There is no real advantage but only risks with this |
| as much as 70% higher chance of developing cancer | | | | procedure. Physicians, government and FDA should |
| of the breast as compared to general population. | | | | intervene and investigate the functioning of this |
| Although the intensity of radiation in modern X ray | | | | mammography industry and the misleading |
| machines is much lower the inherent risks are very | | | | advertisements. |