London, Dec 03: Low-dose radiation from mammograms and chest X-rays may place young women at an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
A recent advisory panel advised against routine breast mammograms for women in their 40s, aiming to lower the worry and expense of extra tests to distinguish between cancer and harmless lumps.
Women at very high risk of breast cancer, however, are still recommended to get both a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and mammogram starting at age 30, as MRI alone increases the risk of false-positive results.
According to a study presented at the Radiological Society of North America meeting in Chicago, women already at high risk of developing breast cancer because of having a positive family history or genetic susceptibility are 1.5 times more likely to develop breast cancer upon receiving low-dose radiation at young ages.
High-risk patients receiving greater levels of exposure to radiation, either before the age of 20 or having five or more exposures, are reported to be 2.5 times more likely to develop cancer.
“We know that breast tissue is susceptible to the harmful effects of radiation when women are at a young age, and that this risk diminishes as women age,” said Robert Smith, cancer screening director from the American Cancer Society.
Scientists concluded that radiation before the age of 30 may be troublesome only in high-risk women, adding that more study is needed to evaluate the risks and benefits of mammography screening in women at average risk for breast cancer.
They therefore urged high-risk women, especially those under 30, to undergo alternative screening methods such as MRI, which does not involve exposure to radiation.
—Agencies