Do Mammograms Do More Harm Than Good?

Mammograms under age 50 are controversial. The prestigious Cochrane Study Group concluded that they lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Mammograms use x-rays to differentiate tissue density that is normal or cancerous; this is very difficult in women under age 50 because they have dense breast tissue that is similar to that of breast cancers. It takes almost 2000 mammograms to save one life based on mammograms. DCIS is a large part of the problem because they are found and 98% are benign. Yet most women in this setting prefer conventional treatment...this means only 2% are cancer and will shorten life and 98% receive serious treatment that they do not need. Infrared light testing, or breast thermography, is discussed as a superior test to mammograms in premenopausal women. It has no radiation and has no increase in mortality.