SciCheck Digest
Specialists agree mammograms are the perfect device to display screen for breast most cancers and that the advantages of the examination outweigh the dangers. However a video in Spanish really useful that girls over 40 skip mammograms, claiming the check is “unsafe” and “pointless.”
Full Story
Breast most cancers is the second main explanation for most cancers demise in ladies in america. About 300,000 ladies might be identified with breast most cancers in 2023, and about 43,000 ladies will die from the illness this 12 months, in response to estimates by the American Most cancers Society.
Skilled teams agree that mammograms, or X-ray pictures of the breasts, can stop some breast most cancers deaths. Although they have limitations, as we’ve defined, mammograms are the best device accessible for in search of indicators of breast most cancers earlier than an individual has any signs. Mammograms enable for early detection and early therapy for breast most cancers, which might improve the probabilities of survival from the illness.
“Mammography is the one check that’s confirmed to avoid wasting lives,” Dr. Sarah M. Friedewald, chief of breast imaging and affiliate professor of radiology at Northwestern College Feinberg College of Medication, advised us about breast most cancers screening strategies in a telephone interview.
Each the American Faculty of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging say mammograms can scale back breast most cancers mortality if ladies with common threat for the illness start getting annual mammograms at age 40.
In Might, the U.S. Preventive Providers Job Pressure, an impartial panel of nationwide specialists in illness prevention, issued a draft of its up to date steerage urging ladies at common threat of breast most cancers to get a mammogram each different 12 months between the ages of 40 and 74. Beforehand, the group had really useful ladies begin biennial mammograms at age 50, and it mentioned ladies of their 40s may select to get mammograms, in session with their docs.
The rules don’t pertain to higher-risk ladies, who normally are advised to start screening earlier than age 40. Different knowledgeable teams differ on precisely how frequent mammograms must be and when ladies ought to begin, however there may be broad consensus that common mammograms are helpful for middle-aged to older ladies.
“A rigorous evaluate of essentially the most up-to-date, high-quality scientific proof clearly reveals that mammograms are useful and may also help maintain ladies from dying of breast most cancers,” Dr. John B. Wong, a professor at Tufts College College of Medication and a member of the duty drive, advised us in an e-mail.
But, in a viral video in Spanish, a lady claimed the advantages of mammograms don’t outweigh the dangers and recommends that girls skip them, counter to the consensus within the medical group.
“There’s scientific proof that mammograms are unsafe, pointless, and create fully pointless threat and anxiousness for any lady,” mentioned Coco March in a Fb Stay video that’s now unavailable, however had over 500,000 views in at some point. Neither of the 2 articles she introduced within the video as proof again up her claims, as we are going to clarify.
Mammograms use low and secure radiation doses. The American Most cancers Society says a lady would usually get the identical quantity of radiation utilized in a mammogram from her pure environment in about seven weeks.
In her 17-minute-long video, March, who makes use of a number of social media accounts to advertise pure merchandise she sells on-line, suggested ladies over 40 to keep away from mammograms and as an alternative stop breast most cancers by getting ultrasounds and taking nutritional vitamins and different dietary supplements.
Ultrasounds, she incorrectly claimed, are “essentially the most correct examination you may get.” March has made deceptive claims about mammograms and different well being points earlier than. Within the video, she incorrectly added that “research have proven” that doing a breast self-exam “is far more correct than mammography.”
Dr. Claudia Tellez, an oncologist working with Spanish-speaking sufferers on the Lurie Most cancers Middle Hispanic Breast Most cancers Clinic at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, mentioned March’s feedback are “very harmful and incorrect.”
“It’s been very properly documented that the advance in survival is correlated with mammogram know-how, so to inform folks to not do their mammograms is really prison,” Tellez advised us in a telephone interview.
Advantages of Mammograms Outweigh Dangers
As we mentioned, mammograms usually are not excellent. The examination has limitations, and it may well have some dangers.
One of many dangers is {that a} mammogram outcome could look irregular even when there isn’t any most cancers within the breast. A false-positive outcome can result in anxiousness and creates the necessity for additional testing, which might value money and time. In accordance with the Nationwide Most cancers Institute, 1 of each 10 ladies having a mammogram may have a false-positive outcome.
Mammograms may present false-negative outcomes, which is when the check misses a most cancers. Information from the Nationwide Most cancers Institute estimate 1 in 5 cancers are missed by mammography. This happens extra generally in youthful ladies, ladies with dense breast tissue and ladies who’ve particular sorts of cancers.
Mammograms may discover cancers that might not be harmful. Overdiagnosis can result in unneeded therapy, College of Illinois Most cancers Middle specialists Dr. Pamela Ganschow and Yamilé Molina advised us, as a result of no accessible exams are superb at predicting “which breast cancers will or won’t progress or develop into dangerous.”
“Subsequently, all ladies identified with breast most cancers at present must bear therapy,” they added.
One of many articles introduced as “proof” in March’s video highlights a few of these potential dangers to misleadingly declare mammograms are “dangerous and must be averted.” The 2015 article was written by a single researcher, a former chief of the Nordic Cochrane Middle, who additionally opposes COVID-19 vaccination.
Wong, from the U.S. Preventive Providers Job Pressure, advised us that in the middle of drafting its newest suggestion, the USPSTF fastidiously reviewed the potential harms and advantages of mammography.
“In the event you stability the potential harms of screening, together with the minimal radiation publicity from mammograms, in opposition to the confirmed good thing about stopping folks from dying of breast most cancers, it’s clear that the advantages of mammograms outweigh the harms, which is why the USPSTF recommends all ladies start getting mammograms after they flip 40,” he wrote.
Ultrasounds and Self-Exams Don’t Change Mammograms
March incorrectly claimed ultrasounds are higher breast most cancers screening instruments than mammograms. As proof, she shared an small examine printed in 2009 that in contrast the accuracy of each applied sciences in about 550 ladies in Kosovo. However all the ladies already had breast most cancers signs, which means the exams weren’t used for screening functions.
Ultrasounds and mammograms complement one another. Ultrasounds, which use high-frequency sound waves to create pictures of the within of the breasts, can present issues which might be tougher to see in a mammogram. For instance, they will distinguish between fluid-filled cysts and strong plenty, the latter of which usually tend to be cancers. However mammograms may present abnormalities that an ultrasound may miss, akin to a microcalcification — one of many earliest indicators of breast most cancers.
“They really actually work collectively. It’s very exhausting to interpret an ultrasound with out having the mammogram,” Friedewald, the radiology professor at Northwestern College, advised us.
Tellez, the Northwestern College oncologist, agreed. Ultrasounds are useful in assessing issues a mammogram is exhibiting or to information a biopsy, she mentioned, “however not in changing the mammogram.”
Friedewald mentioned MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, is used as a supplemental screening for girls with dense breast tissue. However this examination is not excellent both, as it may well additionally miss some cancers and produce false-positives, in response to the ACS. In its newest suggestion, the USPSTF says there may be not sufficient proof on the advantage of including supplemental screening akin to ultrasounds or MRI in ladies with dense breasts.
Research don’t present that self-examination is “far more correct than mammography,” as March claimed, both. Though specialists encourage ladies to be conversant in their breasts and to report any modifications to a physician, research haven’t discovered a transparent profit from self-exams or breast exams made in a clinic, the ACS says.
Tellez mentioned self-examination may be useful, significantly if ladies discover ways to do them properly, however “it’s by no means a alternative” for getting common mammograms.
Mammogram Screening in Hispanic and Latino Ladies
Social media posts that unfold concern and misinformation about mammograms may be significantly harmful for Hispanic and Latino ladies, Tellez advised us. Most cancers statistics present that Hispanic ladies have decrease charges of breast most cancers than ladies of different races or ethnicities. However Tellez mentioned that when Hispanic ladies are identified, they’re normally at a extra superior stage of the illness.
That’s partly as a result of, as with Black ladies, Hispanic ladies are extra seemingly than non-Hispanic white ladies to develop triple-negative breast most cancers, a fast-growing invasive breast most cancers, she mentioned. But in addition due to a number of obstacles that make them much less more likely to get a mammogram, together with language, entry to well being care, lack of trip of labor, or concern of know-how and radiation. Movies like March’s, Tellez mentioned, feed into that concern and reinforce the false concept that it’s OK to not get a mammogram.
“So as an alternative of most cancers being identified at stage zero or stage one, that are the cancers which might be most extremely curable, they’re presenting with phases two and three,” Tellez mentioned.
Breast most cancers is the main explanation for most cancers demise amongst Hispanic ladies within the U.S., in response to the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
Clarification, Nov. 6: We clarified that the USPSTF prior pointers mentioned ladies of their 40s may resolve to start mammogram screenings in session with their docs.
Editor’s be aware: SciCheck’s articles offering correct well being data and correcting well being misinformation are made doable by a grant from the Robert Wooden Johnson Basis. The inspiration has no management over FactCheck.org’s editorial choices, and the views expressed in our articles don’t essentially replicate the views of the inspiration.
Sources
Breast. Most cancers Statistics Middle. American Most cancers Society. Accessed 31 Oct 2023.
Monticciolo, Debra L., et al. “Breast Most cancers Screening Suggestions Inclusive of All Ladies at Common Danger: Replace from the ACR and Society of Breast Imaging.” Journal of the American Faculty of Radiology. 18 Jun 2021.
Breast Most cancers: Screening. Draft Advice Assertion. U.S. Preventive Providers Job Pressure. 9 Might 2023.
Mammography. FDA. Up to date 21 Sep 2023, accessed 31 Oct 2023.
What Is Breast Most cancers Screening? CDC. Up to date 25 Jul 2023, accessed 31 Oct 2023.
American Most cancers Society Suggestions for the Early Detection of Breast Most cancers. American Most cancers Society. 14 Jan 2022.
Limitations of Mammograms. American Most cancers Society. 14 Jan 2022.
Gore, D’Angelo. “Thermography Is No Substitute for Mammograms, Opposite to Fb Submit’s Recommendation.” FactCheck.org. 21 Jul 2023.
Friedewald, Sarah M. Chief of breast imaging and affiliate professor of radiology at Northwestern College Feinberg College of Medication. Cellphone interview. 28 Oct 2023.
Wong, Dr. John B. Professor at Tufts College College of Medication. E mail despatched to FactCheck.org by way of press workplace. 30 Oct 2023.
Radiation in Healthcare: Mammogram. CDC. 20 Oct 2021.
“Es falso que el Alzheimer se puede prevenir ‘totalmente’ con mantequilla y aceite de coco.” La Republica. 21 Oct 2020.
Gómez, José Andrés and Ainhoa Iriberri. “Estos son los seis embaucadores que prometen ‘un mundo sin cáncer’.” El Español. 13 jan 2018.
Villarreal, Antonio. “‘Si tienes cáncer, lo mejor es no hacer nada’: por qué es imposible callar a los curanderos.” El Confidencial. 16 Jan 2018.
“El lodge que acoge una jornada magufa: ‘Lo replantearemos si hay denuncia.’” Redacción Médica. 9 Jan 2018.
Tellez, Claudia. Oncologist at Lurie Most cancers Middle Hispanic Breast Most cancers Clinic at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Cellphone interview. 31 Oct 2023.
Breast Most cancers Screening (PDQ®)–Affected person Model. Nationwide Most cancers Institute. Up to date 26 Jun 2023.
Molina, Yamilé. Affiliate professor, College of Illinois Chicago. E mail despatched to FactCheck.org. 31 Oct 2023.
Ganschow, Pamela. Affiliate professor, Most cancers Middle, College of Illinois. E mail despatched to FactCheck.org. 31 Oct 2023.
Gotzsche, Peter. “Mammography screening is dangerous and must be deserted.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medication. Sep 2015.
Gorski, David. “Peter Götzsche is now formally antivaccine.” Respectful Insolence weblog. 10 Apr 2023.
Gorski, David. “Peter Gøtzsche groups with an antivaxxer to magnify the harms of COVID-19 vaccines.” Science-Based mostly Medication. 3 Apr 2023.
Devolli-Disha, Emine, et al. “Comparative Accuracy Of Mammography And Ultrasound In Ladies With Breast Signs In accordance To Age And Breast Density.” Journal of the Affiliation of Primary Medical Sciences. Might 2009.
Breast Ultrasound. American Most cancers Society. 14 Jan 2022.
Breast MRI. American Most cancers Society. 14 Jan 2022.
Triple-Unfavourable Breast Most cancers. CDC. 25 Jul 2023.
Primary Data About Breast Most cancers. CDC. 25 Jul 2023.
