Not all screenings are helpful, and there may be risks associated with screening. Before getting any screening, it is important to talk to your doctor about the risks of screening and whether screening has been shown to reduce the risk of death from cancer.
Breast cancer screening, which may have the following risks.
Detecting breast cancer that may not have an impact on health status
Screening may not help if the breast cancer is growing rapidly or has metastasized to other parts of the body.
Also, some breast cancers found on mammogram screening may never cause symptoms or be life-threatening. Finding these cancers is called overdiagnosis.
When these cancers are found, treatment does not allow people to live longer, but may cause serious side effects. At this time, it is not possible to determine which breast cancers found by screening will cause problems and which will not.
Screening may not detect cancer
Even if breast cancer is present, screening results may show normal. Women who have a false negative screening result (that is, a screening result that shows no cancer when they actually have cancer) may delay seeking treatment even when they have symptoms.
One in five breast cancers may be missed on a mammogram. Younger women are more likely to have a false-negative result than older women because younger women have denser breast tissue. The chance of a false-negative result is also influenced by several factors.
- The size of the tumor.
- The size of the tumor.
- The rate of tumor growth.
- The level of hormones in the woman’s body, such as estrogen and progesterone.
- The skill level of the radiologist.
Screening can also misclassify as cancer
Screening results can show abnormalities even if you don’t have breast cancer. False-positive screening results (screening results that show cancer when in fact there is no cancer) often lead to people getting more tests (such as biopsies), which can also be risky.
Many people with abnormal screenings are further confirmed to not have cancer. False-positive results are more often seen in the following situations.
False-positive X-ray screening results often lead to more tests, which can lead to anxiety. In one study, women with false-positive x-ray screening who then underwent more tests experienced anxiety 3 months later, despite not being diagnosed with cancer. However, several studies have shown that women who feel anxious after a false-positive screening result are more likely to have regular breast cancer screenings in the future.
Mammograms may be detrimental
X-ray radiation is a risk factor for breast cancer, and women who receive higher doses of radiation before age 30 have a higher risk of developing breast cancer due to radiation. However, in women older than 40 years, the benefits of annual mammography screening may outweigh the risk of cancer from radiation.
During a mammogram, the breast is squeezed between two plates. Putting pressure on the breast helps to get a better picture of the mammogram. Some women may experience pain or discomfort during the mammogram.
The risk benefit of screening may vary by age
The benefits of breast cancer screening vary by age.
- Women with a life expectancy of up to 5 years may have a reduced quality of life with detection and treatment of early-stage breast cancer, but it will not keep them alive longer.
- Women older than 65 years of age have screening results that lead to more tests and may create anxiety while waiting for those test results. However, breast cancer found in these groups is often not life-threatening.
- There is no evidence to confirm whether women with an average risk of breast cancer would benefit from starting x-ray screening before age 40.
Physicians recommend routine breast cancer screening for women who have had radiation therapy to the chest, especially at a young age. Screening with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) should be done annually, starting 8 years after treatment or from age 25 (or later). For these women, there are no studies on the benefits and risks of mammography and MRI.
There are no data on the benefits or risks of breast cancer screening in men.
Regardless of age, if there are risk factors for breast cancer, you should ask when to start and how often to get screened for breast cancer.