Emperor1956
Posts: 2370
Joined: 11/7/2005 Status: offline
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quote:
jojoluvr said: according to the breast cancer action fund info, the only KNOWN cause of breast cancer is the radiation from mammograms and quote:
FelinePersuasion said: I asked about mamograms and my dr said I don't need them till I am in my 30's cause at 23 what their looking for won't show up yet, O was told the cancer cells don't show up untill middle age. jojo: while NO radiology technique that puts additional radiation in the body is entirely safe, mammography is pretty good. The dosage in a typical mammogram is equal to about the amount of radiation you get walking around the planet for 3 months. That means that if you do NOTHING else to counterbalance the rad. dose of a mammogram, every 4 mammograms is equal to the background radiation of another year older. A pretty minor risk. And your statement "radiation from mammograms is the only known cause of breast cancer" is simply wrong (I don't know what the "breast cancer action fund" is, but either they are misinformed or you accidentally misstated them). There are several "known" causes of breast cancer. The carrying of variations of the BRAC-1 and -2 gene are the best documented. I know of no study that says that mammography causes breast cancer. FP: your doctor is essentially correct. Baseline mammography in women under 40 is suspect, and is not recommended unless there are compelling contrary reasons. That means insurance won't pay for it. But if you are really concerned, why don't you wait until "Breast Cancer Awareness Month" when there will be free screenings, or very reduced price screenings? And finally, thermography is NOT an effective substitute for mammography...at least not yet. A Google search of Thermography / Mammography will reveal several studies that the technology isn't really there yet. The websites marsman points to are suspect: they are commercial ventures trying to sell you on a procedure. Thermography may be useful for following a known tumor, but it simple does not do a very good job of initial screening. I am no fan of mammography -- it hurts, it is invasive and it is expensive -- but its the best tool we've got right now for breast imaging. Future promising technologies are MRI and other noninvasive imaging techniques. If you are interested in this topic, probably the best summary of research appeared in JAMA about 3 years ago: Researchers Seek Mammography Alternatives, Mitka JAMA.2003; 290: 450-451. E
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