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Mammogram - More Confusion

The Evidence Is Mixed
The evidence in favour of mammograms is largely unclear and inconclusive. And, in fact, some of the evidence against having them is startling.

The basic proposal of the 'pro' camp is that regular mammograms in the over-50 age group reduce the chances of women over 50 dying from breast cancer by 30%; and they reduce the chances of future mastectomies. These are the interpretations of the findings of a Swedish study reported in the Lancet in 1993.

These findings have been questioned by many authorities in alternative medicine. And now, a recent study, reported in the Lancet, the British Medical Journal and the New York Times, has created more 'official' concerns.

Two of the members of the study group have stood apart from their colleagues and, most unusually, have voiced their concerns over the previous studies. One of the members, Dr. Peter Gotzsche, director of the Nordic Cochrane Center in Copenhagen, says: "The quality of the trials was very surprising because it is pretty low".

In particular, it is said that these studies give no clear evidence that early identification of breast lumps leads to a reduced risk of death, or to a reduced chance of radical surgery, as claimed.

On re-examining the data, it even appears as if mastectomy is 20% more likely to happen among women who have had mammograms. (It was supposed to be less likely to happen if you had regular mammograms.)

So - you'd better look at some of the data and make your own
mind up about mammorgrams!

To help you, here are links to coverage from:

The British Medical Journal
bmj.com/cgi/content/full/323/7319/956

The New York Times
www.nytimes.com/2001/12/09/health/womenshealth/09MAMM.html

Muddle and Confusion
Most readers will not have tried to fathom out the implications of any published scientific studies. The papers written by the teams carrying these out are often convoluted and hard to understand. Even the exact methods used may be unclear.

Crucially, how one study interlocks with another is hard to ascertain. (The data on which the mammogram recommendations were based, came from combining the results of five studies.)

I am not a scientist. I have not performed any studies myself. I am sure that they are difficult to do in a way that pleases everybody.

But my point is that however precise scientists try to make the methods used, the conclusions frequently have an element of subjectivity. Interpretation is all. That is why the members of the team reported here disagreed. And it is why conclusions drawn are often reversed at a later date.

[Next: Where is clarity on the mammogram issue?]

Where Is Clarity on Mammograms?
Let's turn to the UK's magazine What Doctors Don't Tell You, which is usually a solid source of information. It gives some good reasons why there is such confusion over mammograms.

Firstly, a mammogram is painful - according to a third of women who undergo one. There is obviously a risk applying huge pressure - the equivalent of 20 kilos of weight on each breast. Such compression would never normally happen, and clearly could cause damage. Cells damaged by this process would create a weakness, which could lead to further problems developing. Also, it is possible that such pressure could disperse any cancer cells present into the lymph system and spread them around the body.

Secondly, the interpretation of mammogram results is shockingly variable. One study conducted by Yale University considered the interpretations put upon the same 150 good quality mammograms by ten experienced radiologists. Their views differed very widely.

Even the 27 patients later found to have cancer were given very different analyses by the radiographers.

This difference in analysis leads to another point - incorrect diagnosis of cancer, or "false positives". Tremendous distress is caused to women who are called back for checks, undergo biopsy, and then wait for test results, which then eventually turn out to be negative.

A realistic question is: "Is it worth undergoing a procedure which has risk attached (mammogram) to try and identify a true positive, when the chance of undergoing much distress by receiving a false positive is depressingly high?"

Thirdly - radiation is known to be a factor in causing cancer.

Surely, subjecting the breast to radioactivity has a level of risk attached to it. 

For some more information and reference to studies highlighting further issues, see:

What Doctors Don't Tell You: Guide to Medical Tests
www.wddty.co.uk

What Can You Do?
Clearly, the best solution is to try and avoid a breast lump in the first place.

There are two types of breast cancer. These are the more common oestrogen-dependant cancer; and the non-oestrogen-dependant cancer. The occurrence of the first type is accelerating rapidly.

This may be because there is a greater exposure to oestrogens. This can be affected, for example, by diet. Girls who had a diet lower in animal fats and higher in fibre were found to start menstruating later. Starting menstruating later is associated with a lowered likelihood of developing breast cancer.

There are many other ways we can reduce our chances of developing breast cancer.

Specific ways include:

For the reasons behind these suggestions and many more of them see, again, the magazine; What Doctors Don't Tell You, Oct 1998; Subscriptions and back issues:
www.wddty.co.uk

(I am not connected to WDDTY - I just like the magazine!)

Keep Healthy With Naturopathy
It sounds obvious - but don't forget your breasts are part of the rest of your body! So, for good breast health, look after your general health.

Here are some background articles and links:

A Lifestyle For Health
www.alternative-healthzine.com/html/0111_1.html

Colon Cleansing
www.alternative-healthzine.com/html/0110_1.html
www.specialist-herbal.com/html/colon_cleansing.html

Liver Cleansing
www.alternative-healthzine.com/html/0107_3.html
www.specialist-herbal.com/html/liver_programme.html

Liver cleansing is particularly important! The Chinese system of medicine sees lumps in the breast as, predominantly, a problem of the liver. 'Stuck energy' in the liver meridian - which travels to the breasts - is caused by reduced liver function; as well as by stress and emotional turmoil.

Answers?

Alternative medicine to support and cleanse the liver; herbs and other measures to support the nerves and emotions; learn ways to deal with stress and emotions - such as meditation, exercise and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).

A 'clean' diet - reduce starches and proteins; increase fruit and non-starchy vegetables

Article: How to Avoid Cancer - Eat Fruit and Vegetables
www.alternative-healthzine.com/html/0107_1.html

Also - see the article Support For the Breasts, which studies the links between the bras you use and breast cancer. This is very, very important:
www.alternative-healthzine.com/html/0102_1.html 

What Is A Cancerous Breast Lump Like?
According to Educare at cancerhelp.com these are some of the characteristics of 90% of cancerous breast lumps:

For the full characteristics, see:
www.cancerhelp.com/ed/ec-lump.htm

Keep good and healthy until next month. Maybe this article makes you think: "Yes - he's right - I'm really going to seriously start looking after my health".

I hope so. Today is the best time to start.

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