Experts say mammograms are best way to test for breast cancer | Fact check

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·5 min read

The claim: Mammograms are 'outdated and dangerous'

A July 11 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shared by an account named Healthy Wild Free claims mammograms are no longer an effective way to screen for breast cancer.

"Stop Getting Mammograms Immediately As They Are Outdated And Dangerous!" reads the post. "There Is A Safer Way To Test For Breast Cancer!"

The Facebook account links to an article published by Green Living Tribe in the comments. The website was created by the same man who runs the account, according to the website's "About" page.

A similar Facebook post garnered more than 100 shares in one week before it was edited to say the claim is false.

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Our rating: False

Numerous experts and health organizations recommend mammograms for early detection of breast cancer and say the amount of radiation emitted from the test is not dangerous. The linked article presents thermography as an alternative, but experts say there is not sufficient evidence to prove thermography is a safe alternative to mammograms.

Benefits of mammograms outweigh possible risks

Mammograms are recommended for early detection of breast cancer by numerous health organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the American College of Radiology, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization.

Dr. Pouneh Razavi, a radiology instructor at Johns Hopkins Medicine, told USA TODAY years of data and research have proven the benefits of mammograms.

"Studies have shown that women who have routine mammograms have 13% to 25% less chance of dying of breast cancer than women who do not have mammograms," Razavi said in an email.

Fact check: Post comparing mammogram radiation to Hiroshima is wildly inaccurate

While mammograms do expose patients to radiation, it's an incredibly small amount, according to the American Cancer Society. A typical mammogram exposes a patient to 0.4 millisieverts, or mSv, of radiation, while the average American is exposed to about 3 mSv of radiation each year from their natural surroundings.

"The dose of radiation used for a screening mammogram of both breasts is about the same amount of radiation a woman would get from her natural surroundings over about seven weeks," the society's website says.

Dr. Stamatia Destounis, chair of the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Commission, told USA TODAY the radiation from a mammogram is within the range of background radiation a patient would receive by boarding a plane or living in Colorado.

Destounis said the American College of Radiology recommends annual mammograms starting at 40 years old for women of average risk – earlier for women with a personal or family history of breast cancer.

No evidence thermography is a safe alternative

The article linked below the Facebook post claims thermography, a test that uses a camera to detect the temperature of the skin on the breast's surface, is a safer alternative to mammograms.

However, both Razavi and Destounis told USA TODAY there's no evidence that's true.

"Thermography has not been shown to be effective as a screening test for breast cancer or as a tool for early detection," Razavi said. "There are no research studies showing that thermography saves lives. In fact, the FDA has taken regulatory action – including issuing warning letters – against health care providers and thermography device manufacturers who have misled patients into believing that thermography can take the place of mammography.”

Fact check: Video confuses data on breast cancer cases and deaths

In a 2021 statement, the FDA said it wasn't aware of any scientific evidence to support the claim that thermography is a proven alternative to mammograms.

"Thermography has not been shown to be effective as a standalone test for either breast cancer screening or diagnosis in detecting early-stage breast cancer," reads the statement. "Mammography is still the most effective primary screening method for detecting breast cancer in its early, most treatable stages."

Destounis referred to a 2015 statement from the Society of Breast Imaging that says it "does not currently support the use of thermography/infrared imaging of the breast as either a screening tool in the detection of breast cancer or as an adjunctive diagnostic tool."

The statement notes that thermography was approved by the FDA in 1982 as an adjunct to mammography, not as a stand-alone screening test.

Destounis added that the small studies on thermography don't compare to the randomized control trials experts have conducted on mammography throughout the last 50 years.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The claim has also been debunked by PolitiFact.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Experts recommend mammograms to detect breast cancer | Fact check