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SHOULD YOU GET A MAMMOGRAM?

Danish researchers say a re-analysis of their controversial study of a year ago confirms their original conclusions -- that there is no evidence that breast-cancer screening with mammography saves women's lives. When the original report was published last year in The Lancet, it garnered widespread criticism from breast cancer experts who questioned the researchers’ reasoning and conclusions. Researchers then re-analyzed their data according to the protocol of an international organization that has established rigorous standards for conducting and publishing research reviews. But their conclusion about mammography remains the same. According to the researchers, flawed methods have troubled the studies that indicate mammography saves women's lives by catching breast cancer early. Of the eight studies reviewed, only two were deemed to be of good quality.And those two trials suggested that mammograms have made not reduced breast cancer deaths. In their original study, the researchers cited problems with the way many mammography trials have been conducted - including imbalances in terms of the women's ages and other factors that they say has skewed the study results in favour of mammography. Based on the current report, Lancet editor, Richard Horton, concludes that "At present, there is no reliable evidence from large randomized trials that support screening mammography programs."

The Lancet, October 20th, 2001; 358:1340-1342,1284-1285

Comment: The above report of course is in line with the facts, but perhaps should go the extra step to warn women that mammograms can actually cause breast cancer, according to a number of researchers, such as Dr John Gofman and Professor Samuel Epstein. In both Cancer, Why We’re Still Dying to Know the Truth and Health Wars, It is pointed out that scientific evidence shows that x-rays and radiation in general will damage healthy tissue and commence a healing process, which, if not terminated upon completion of the task, will become a trophoblastic, cancerous growth. A non-toxic alternative to mammograms is infra-red thermography. It is certainly encouraging to see the Lancet covering such a controversial issue. Unfortunately, how many members of the public read the Lancet? How many of us are at the mercy of the media who might choose selectively NOT to report such a divisive but crucial issue?