Mammograms May Increase Breast Cancer Risk In Younger Women With Genetic Mutations, Family History, Study Finds

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Radiation from annual mammograms may further increase the risk that young women with genetic mutations or family histories linked to breast cancer will develop the disease, according to a study presented at a conference Monday, the New York Times reports. The findings likely will fuel the debate brought on by a recent Journal of the American Medical Association article questioning current breast cancer screening practices and recent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines stating that most women can begin mammograms later in life and have them less frequently than is generally recommended.

The Times notes that high doses of radiation can increase the risk of breast cancer but that mammograms use a low dose. However, the same genetic mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer in some women might also make them more susceptible to cancer caused by radiation, according to Marijke Jansen-van der Weide, who presented the findings at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. The results are "particularly troubling" because doctors urge high-risk patients to begin breast cancer screening earlier in life, the Times reports. The researchers stressed that the new findings are not conclusive and that the issue needs more study.

The researchers examined data from six previous studies on about 5,000 high-risk women. They found that women who had mammograms or chest X-rays prior to age 20, or who had had at least five radiation exposures, were two-and-one-half times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who had had no exposure.

"For high-risk women, it's important to weigh the benefits and risks of mammography with their doctor and come together on a screening strategy, and to keep in mind that at a young age you can use an alternative screening technique like MRI," Jansen-van der Weide said. Robert Smith, director of cancer screening for the American Cancer Society, questioned the authors' methodology, adding that MRIs are not a suitable substitute for mammograms. Smith said that MRIs and mammograms can both miss tumors and that the best approach for high-risk women is to use the two tests together (Grady, New York Times, 12/1).

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