The truth is out (once again) about mammograms

The useless test they won’t give up on

It’s time to look past the pink ribbons, the massive PR machine, and the amazing women we’ve all loved who have fallen victim to breast cancer.

Because results from one of the largest and most thorough studies are finally in.

It examined 90,000 women over 25 years.

And its conclusion is clear: Mammograms don’t save lives.

So why do they still insist on subjecting women to the pain, the radiation and the false positives?

Don’t shoot the messenger

These results reveal (again) an alarming story of how women everywhere have been frightened by their doctors and caring family members into having a dangerous and unnecessary test.

And how they line up for it again and again every single year.

This is not the first time research has debunked the mammogram illusion of being a life-saver.

And no matter how many reports come out, it doesn’t look like the medical mainstream is going to change its mind, at least not in this century.

That’s why the results of this study are something that every single woman needs to know about.

Here’s some of what the Canadian researchers found out in this 25-year study:

• Mammograms do not lower the number of women who are dying from breast cancer. The death rate for both groups in the study — those who took mammograms and those who didn’t — was almost exactly the same.
• Mammograms are leading to over-diagnoses of breast cancer. This means the test might find cancers that do not require treatment.
• There was no advantage in finding breast cancers with a mammogram when they were too small to detect in an exam done by hand.
• One in five cancers found by mammograms are the kind that should not be treated. Yet, women who are told they have breast cancer often panic. Many undergo surgery, chemo and radiation, not knowing what the best course of action is.

Then there’s the issue of the controversial diagnosis of “ductal carcinoma in situ.”

This “precancerous” condition can only be detected by mammography, and yet the researchers discovered that the over-diagnosis rate for it is one in three!

Keep in mind, not all breast cancers are death sentences. Researchers say that many cancers grow slowly and some don’t grow at all. But the mainstream view is to treat all cancers aggressively, with painful and disfiguring procedures. This dogma causes not only physical pain but severe emotional harm — as far too many women are subjecting themselves to radical mastectomies.

Of course, the American College of Radiology immediately called the study results “flawed” (a favorite expression when long-held beliefs are debunked).

But over in Switzerland, they are taking a different view.

The Swiss Medical Board recently advised that no new programs to promote mammography be started. Its big concern was about over-diagnosis leading to unnecessary surgical procedures.

Your doctor probably thinks like mine does when it comes to mammograms, “Just do it, for heaven’s sake!”

If you’re going to “just do” anything, remember that self-breast exams are absolutely essential. Learn how to do them correctly by a trained nurse, and do them monthly.

Sources:
“Vast study casts doubts on value of mammograms” Gina Kolata, The New York Times, February 11, 2014, nytimes.com

“Latest evidence against mammograms adds to women’s uncertainty” Nancy Shute, Shots, February 1, 2014 npr.org