Keep Breast Cancer Out Of Your Future

Minimize radiation exposure from screening tests

It's ironic. Mammograms are the staple of breast cancer surveillance, yet ionizing radiation—the kind in many high-tech screening tests—is a risk factor for the disease, because ionizing radiation can cause DNA mutations in cells.

That doesn't mean you should cancel your mammogram. "Mammograms deliver very small doses of radiation, and if you follow general guidelines, it's not going to be an issue," says Robert N. Hoover, MD, ScD, director of the epidemiology and biostatistics program at the National Cancer Institute. "The same is true for annual dental x-rays and airport security screening, and if your doctor says you need a diagnostic x-ray for any reason, the risk of minimal radiation exposure is outweighed by the possibility of diagnosing a potential medical problem."

There are exceptions: Women who have had radiation therapy to the chest area for previous cancers such as Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma have significantly higher odds of developing breast cancer. (The greater the dose and the earlier the age at treatment, the higher the risk.) In general, the FDA says that x-rays should be performed only when "the referring physician judges them to be necessary to answer a clinical question or to guide treatment of a disease." 

If your doctor tells you that you need an x-ray, make sure you understand the reason why; if you're still not certain you need one done, get a second opinion.