Study shows increased mammograms result in more mastectomies

by Tara Green

(NaturalNews) Mammograms, long touted as essential to early detection of breast cancer in order to help women avoid surgery, may actually result in unnecessary mastectomies, according to a recent Norwegian study. The study suggests that mastectomy rates rise as the numbers of women who receive the screening procedure increase.

The study drew on data from Norway's national breast cancer screening program for 35,000 women aged 40 to 79 diagnosed with early or invasive breast cancers. Oslo researchers discovered a 31% increased risk of mastectomy among women invited to receive mammograms compared with a non-invited younger age group.

The research team found, in comparing rates of mastectomy before and after the institution of the national screening program, mastectomies increased by 9% among women invited to screenings. However mastectomy rates decreased by 17 percent during the same time period among non-invited women aged 40 to 49 and by 13 percent in non-invited women aged 70 to 79.

Study author Pal Suhrke observed that "these results are surprising and disappointing because one might suspect that due to earlier detection of tumors, the number of women needing mastectomies would decrease."

Surhke points to "cancer overdiagnosis" as the likely reason for the greater incidence of mastectomies among the older group of women who received mammograms. Mammograms may result in detection and surgical treatment of slow-growing tumors which actually pose little cancer risk.

The surgical oncology establishment has gone on the defensive against Suhrke's findings and his conclusions, trying to argue that "an element of overtreatment" is a natural consequence of testing procedures.

While over treatment may be seen as a built-in hazard of the profession among oncology surgeons, Natural News readers can learn of the herbal and dietary methods of preventing breast cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/032222_b... and http://www.naturalnews.com/032371_c...) halting tumor growth (http://www.naturalnews.com/032410_p...)
and avoiding breast cancer metastasis (http://www.naturalnews.com/032582_A...).

Mammograms have become a major sub-industry within the medical conglomerate, and we advise readers to do their own research and make informed decisions about whether or not to undergo this procedure (http://www.naturalnews.com/031639_m...).

Sources

http://health.usnews.com/health-new...

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/...

http://www.bidmc.org/YourHealth/Hea...
http://www.naturalnews.com/z033613_mammograms_mastectomies.html