Mammography, Biopsy and the Detection of Breast Cancer

It is a modern day mantra, widely repeated and unquestioningly accepted, that screening mammography offers the best chance of reducing breast cancer deaths. But is this really true? What can a woman really hope to gain by regular mammography? Are there hidden dangers in the methods used to detect and diagnose breast cancer?

This report looks in depth at the shortcomings of screening mammography and also discusses needle biopsies, with an explanation of the possible link between this type of breast biopsy and the spread of cancer to nearby lymph nodes.

Professor Samuel Epstein, MD, professor emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, and Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition, has reviewed the report and has the following to say:

"Unquestionably the world's leading authority on alternative and complementary medicine, Dr. Ralph Moss has already done more than any other to bring to public attention the risks and lack of efficacy of standard cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. His works on the politics of cancer and the hazards and biases of clinical trials have made him a recognized leader in the field of cancer policy analysis.

"Now he turns his attention to the highly contentious field of breast cancer detection. The result is a characteristically thoughtful and incisive work that not only exposes the very real dangers of breast cancer screening – over 10 years of routine mammography a premenopausal woman receives almost half as much radiation as was measurable within a mile of the epicenter of the Hiroshima atom bomb explosion - but also lays bare the astonishing lack of scientific evidence underpinning current screening recommendations. This is an outstanding and important work by an outstanding and important author."

Joel M. Evans, MD, founder and director of The Center for Women's Health, Darien, CT, and assistant clinical professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, says of the new report:

"Ralph Moss has written a scholarly and frightening treatise that is a "must read" for both the general public and all health professionals. It has the capacity to transform our approach to breast cancer screening and diagnosis. It is a remarkable gift to the women of the world."

36-pages.