Is mammogram effective and safe for breast screening?

Breast cancer, is the no.1 cause of death of all cancers for women. It is arguably the most feared disease by all female population. Breast cancer awareness, is often made public for regular screening. It is believed that regular mammograms could detect early stages of breast cancer or perhaps even prevent it? A controversial form of diagnosis for breasts, and how much do the population know about the downside of mammogram?

Recent NBC news, discussed a short clip about how mammogram benefits are oversold, and harms have been downplayed. The new study conducted by Harvard Medical School analysed 50 years of data from mammograms performed on female adults. It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, April 2014. The study found that while mammograms decreased a woman's risk of dying from breast cancer by an average of 19%, it is the same amount of 19% of the cancers, which is not life threatening, and treatment is not necessary. Although the study did not revealed or discussed about the other risks of undergoing mammograms, female adults should weigh the 'benefits' (if there is), and risks of performing this type of radiation-based screening. 

In another study, 2011 meta-analysis by the Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews, mammography breast cancer screening led to 30 percent overdiagnosis and overtreatment, which equates to an absolute risk increase of 0.5 percent. Meanwhile, according to National Cancer Institute, screening mammograms miss up to 20-40% of detection, especially for women with dense breasts tissues.  An article by British Medical Journal (http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e5132 ) revealed how Susan G Komen For the Cure, world’s largest breast cancer organization, is using misleading stats to persuade women to undergo mammograms. Could this be the 'snowballing' of global promotion of mammogram screening to female adults? 

From my honest point of view, every women should realize about other alternatives of breast sceening. A safer yet more effective screening methods for individuals, such as thermography and ultrasound. An even wiser approach to preventing breast cancer, diet, nutrition and lifestyle are a much powerful way to lower the risk of this specific type of cancer. Of course, there are various factors of contributing to the increased risks of breast cancer, to name a few, deficiency in iodine, high concentration of parabens from exposure to skin care products and toiletries, high levels of estrogens, deficiency in Vitamin A and D, EMF exposure, birth control pills, synthetic hormones, and etc. 

Meanwhile, you can also watch a video presentation by Dr. Gilbert Welch, based on a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2012. I would also recommend every women out there to read the book "The Big Squeeze" by Handel Reynolds MD, if you are concern about breast cancer and the truth about mammogram.

The New England Journal of Medicine : Dr. Gilbert Welch



Effect of Three Decades of Screening Mammography on Breast-Cancer Incidence




References & Journals:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21249649  -   Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews January 19, 2011;(1):CD001877
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15356688
http://www.ajronline.org/doi/abs/10.2214/ajr.167.5.8911192
http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e5132
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12631400
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1206809