At Azani Medical Spa in Pennsylvania, Monica Gavin, M.D., is working towards educating all her patients about the relationship between mammograms and cancer. She provides any interested parties with pages of information regarding the options women have when it comes to breast cancer detection. The following includes information provided by Dr. Gavin on research being done regarding mammograms and breast thermography, the latter being the option that Dr. Gavin offers her patients.
Besides its link to breast cancer, some doctors are questioning the idea that mammography is an effective tool for detecting breast cancer. In a Swedish study of 60,000 women, 70% of the detected tumors were not tumors at all. This is a result commonly known as a “false positive,” which many women experience after going for their annual mammogram. Not only are these false positives emotionally and financially stressful, but they may lead to you undergo unnecessary, invasive biopsies. In fact, upon biopsy, 70% to 80% of all positive mammograms do not show any presence of cancer.
Furthermore, mammograms also are known to have a high rate of not finding tumors. Women in their late teens and twenties who opt to have mammograms as a way to detect early stages of breast cancer may find themselves unable to get clear results. Because the breast tissue in younger women tends to be denser, it makes it difficult for a mammogram to detect tumors. As a result, the likelihood that the test will return a negative result, when in fact there is a tumor, is twice as likely.
The false-negative results don’t stop there. One researcher, Dr. Samuel Epstein, has found that in women ages 40 to 49, one in four instances of cancer is missed during each mammogram. The National Cancer Institute puts the rate of false-negative results even higher than 40%. These unreliable readings may also continue to affect you as you age beyond 49. Health spokespeople also report that mammograms miss 10% of malignant tumors in women over 50.
Additionally, researchers have begun to look at how the mammogram process effects the growth of precancerous cells. Dr. Gavin best illustrates this point by explaining that if you have a small cluster of precancerous cells, and the person giving the test starts to move and squish your breast into place, the force could cause the precancerous cells to shift and spread. Once the cells spread, they then have the ability to attack more cells, which may eventually lead to numerous tumors in your breast. Even worse is that the mammogram itself probably won’t detect these precancerous clusters for years to come.
The method for detection and prevention that Dr. Gavin firmly stands behind is breast thermography, an FDA approved, radiation-free, cancer detection method that uses heat instead of radiation. Read on for more about breast thermography and also if mammograms cause cancer.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
