Recent changes in the guidelines for screening mammograms have been controversial. Millions of women reacted angrily to the idea that they might wait until age 50 for their first mammogram. And older women were shocked to learn that they might only need a mammogram every other year instead of annually.
Now there is even more controversial news for women at high risk of breast cancer. Women with a family history of breast cancer are usually urged to get mammograms early and often. A new Dutch study suggests that may increase rather than decrease their risk. The scientists said exposure to the radiation in mammograms before age 20 more than doubles the risk of breast cancer in the course of a lifetime. They reviewed six studies that included thousands of women at high risk. Mammograms use X-rays to create the image. The Dutch researchers recommend MRIs for high-risk women under 30. That would avoid the danger of X-ray exposure.
[Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, Dec. 1, 2009]
The People's Perspective on Medicine