A FRESH controversy has arisen about mammograms. Radiobiologists in Germany say the millions of women who are genetically predisposed to breast cancer should avoid mammogram screening. But other experts reject the claim that the X-rays in mammograms greatly increase the risk.
“Women with an inherited, increased breast cancer risk should avoid frequent and early mammography screening,” warns Marlis Frankenberg-Schwager of the University of Göttingen. Instead they should insist on other methods of screening, such as magnetic resonance imaging, she says.
As many as 1 in 200 women inherit mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, greatly increasing the risk…
