Could exposure to radiation during early studies of mammography increase breast cancer risk?
The risk for radiation-induced breast cancer from mammography is related to age at exposure, dose of radiation per x-ray, number of x-rays taken per exam, and number of lifetime exams performed. In addition, a small percentage of women may carry a gene that makes them more susceptible than average to x-rays. Younger women are at increased risk for x-ray induced damage to the breasts; this is one reason why mammography screening of young women is discouraged (another is the difficulty interpreting these mammograms). The dose of radiation depends upon the type of x-ray (xeroradiograms use considerably higher doses, but may give better pictures) as well as the size of the breast. Large breasts require higher doses to penetrate the tissues; compressing the breast during the procedure decreases thickness and allows lower x-ray doses to be used. Standard screening mammography generally includes two or sometimes three pictures of each breast; occasionally more views are needed, particularly i
