can mammograms cause cancer cells to form in breast?

Answer 1

It is probable, but not likely.

"The US Department of Energy estimates that the glandular-tissue dose per mammogram image is 138 mrem, or approximately 1.4 mSv......The American Cancer Society reports that the average risk of developing cancer is about one in three for females during their lifetimes, or 38.18%. Adding the additional 0.24 cancers due to 0.4 mSv to the natural risk of 3,818 cancers in 10,000 would correspond to an increase of 0.006% increase in the natural cancer incidence rate, which is really an inconsequential
increase."

Each breast receives two views on a routine mammogram. So each breast receives about 0.8 mSv.

http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q4720.html

"The effective radiation dose from a mammogram is about 0.7 mSv, which is about the same as the average person receives from background radiation in three months. Federal mammography guidelines require that each unit be checked by a medical physicist every year to ensure that the unit operates correctly."

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=mammo&bhcp=1

The benefit of having a mammogram and finding an early, treatable breast cancer far outweighs the risk, in my opinion.

EDIT: as a rebuttal to Kelly.....

Mammograms are not money makers. In the facility where I work in Northern California, we lose money each time we do a mammogram. We don't even cut even. The insurance reimbursement is nothing. There are so many rules and regulations regarding physist reports, annual inspections, quality control etc etc etc, that it costs us to do the exams. Nobody will ever get rich doing mammograms.......

Answer 2

Maybe!

We still don't know all the causes of cancer, so nothing can be positively ruled out.

However, they are considered safe, and they are a good way of detecting suspicious growth in breast tissue of women over 40.

So, if you are over 40, I would recommend having a mammogram done.

Answer 3

Yes, it can. In fact, it probably causes as many cancers as it finds based on the research of one of the most knowledgeable nuclear experts in the world. I've forgotten his name.

NIH had many meetings about this, and then they went against the evidence, in favor of the $$ for all the mammogram machine owners.

Good luck and be well.

Kelley

Good luck and be well.

Answer 4

No, the doses are actually lower than what you possibly can get sitting out and sun tanning. I labored in pathology for 20 years, and there are identified motives of breast cancer. A small percentage of circumstances are genetic. Many instances are from exposure to extra estrogen, and estrogen like compounds. Sources of those incorporate meats (animals are regularly injected with hormones to make them grow bigger, rapid), carrying excess weight (fat acts as estrogen), and being on the pill (as soon as females have been taken off the capsule for menopause symptoms, the breast rate plummeted through a large percent)

Answer 5

Your doctor, insurance company, and Rosie O'Donnell urge you to get them once a year. The idea is to detect and cure cancer BEFORE it starts not cause it.

Answer 6

never heard of it ...but hey anything can happen ...

Answer 7

no