A mammogram is simply an x-ray of the breast. There are …show more content…
There is no denying the fact that there are certain risks associated with mammography, “the benefit to risk ratio proves that the testing has a higher chance of saving your life than causing the initial problem.”2 “Cancers caused by radiation cannot be differentiated from spontaneously occurring malignancies”5 “Our study demonstrated that the risk of radiation induced breast cancer due to mammography screening is small. Biennial screening between ages 50-74 was predicted to cause 7.7 breast cancers and 1.6 breast cancer deaths per 100,000 women aged 0-100, but also prevent 1121 breast cancer deaths. This indicated that the radiation risks of regular mammography are negligible.”2 “Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed noncutaneous cancer among women in the United States where it is only second to lung cancer as a cause of cancer deaths.”6 This test has been proven to save numerous live, and now we must find a favorable balance of benefits and harms. There are so many benefits to mammography. Early detection of cancer means that you can start treatment before it spreads further into tissue. Mammography has helped reduce breast cancer mortality in the U.S. by nearly 1/3 since