Breast cancer screening could increase chances of cancer
Published: December 02, 2020
Research has found the small amount of radiation that the body is exposed to during a mammography can actually increase the chances of getting cancer for those women who are already in the high-risk category.
ABCNews reports The University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands has found that women, especially below the age of 30, are at risk of being even more at risk of developing breast cancer when they go for regular screenings – like for a mammography or chest x-ray, as these release low-level radiation.
The women concerned are young women who are found to have an especially high risk of developing breast cancer due to genetics or family history. It is suggested that these particular women perhaps switch screening methods to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scans), as this does not release any radiation.
“Our findings suggest that low-dose radiation increases breast cancer risk among these young, high-risk women, and a careful approach is warranted,” said Marijke Jansen-van der Weide of the university.
She also firmly suggests that these women find alternate methods to screening, such as the one mentioned above. The only problem with MRI scans, reportedly, is that they quite often turn up false negative results.
The American Cancer Society therefore recommends that women who are at a high risk of developing breast cancer should get both MRI scans and mammographies beginning from the age of 30.
Celebrities who have battled breast cancer include Maggie Smith, Kylie Minogue, Olivia Newton-John and Christina Applegate.
Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MammographyinprocessGraphic.jpg
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