Hypothetical breast cancer risk from mammography.
The existence of low-dose risk has neither been proven nor disproven. If there is a risk from the low doses used in current mammographic techniques, it is immeasurably small, especially when compared to the overwhelmingly large incidence of naturally occurring breast cancers, many of which could be detected by mammography at an early curable stage. The risk, if it does exist, would be lowest among women exposed over 30 years of age, a fortunate circumstance since this group would benefit most from mammography.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D012306:Risk