Increased Breast Cancer with X-Rays

Women in the United States face a terrible risk of contracting the deadly disease that is breast cancer. This year alone, roughly 40,970 women will die due to the affects of this chronic illness, and a full 212,920 more women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer. While we know many of the factors that may weigh into a woman’s risk of developing the disease, we learn more every day, and a shocking study has shed light onto another possible factor in developing the disease.

Studies on X-Rays and Breast Cancer

While not fully understood yet, studies are being conducted weighing the possibility that X-rays of the chest may contribute to the chance of a woman developing breast cancer. Nadine Andrieu, Ph.D works for France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research, and has said that while data may point to x-rays increasing the risk of breast cancer, much of the data in the study needs to be confirmed before the conclusion is reached. If the study’s results bear true, it may result in Magnetic Resonance Imaging being used to diagnose possible breast cancer in women that bear a high risk for the disease as opposed to the mammogram system which is currently in place.

Gene Mutations with X-Rays

The possible risk represented by the use of x-rays when it comes to breast cancer applies only to two types of gene mutations: BRCA1 and BRCA2. These types of gene mutations are known to greatly increase the risk of the development of both breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The gene mutations are rare, and are present in approximately 250,000 women throughout the United States .

The gene mutation can be inherited, and roughly 5 to 10 percent of all breast cancers diagnosed in the US are due to inherited gene mutations. To put things into perspective, a normal woman with no gene mutation runs a risk of developing breast cancer that is roughly 13 percent. Women that have the BRCA1 gene mutation, however, run a risk of developing the disease that is somewhere between 60 and 80 percent. If a woman has a BRCA2 gene mutation, the risk for developing breast cancer can vary between 30 and 85 percent throughout the course of their life.

The study was conducted with 1,601 women from Europe and Canada . 853 of the women in the study were diagnosed with a case of breast cancer. The average age of the subjects was 47, and they were told to complete questionnaires which included a question regarding how many times they had x-rays on their chests, not including mammograms. The results of the study showed that woman who had reported any number of chest x-rays were 54 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than those who reported no x-rays.

While the data in the study needs to be confirmed, it represents a significant statistic when it comes to the possible role of x-rays in breast cancer development. More studies need to be conducted to ensure that the results of the test are sound, and in the future, we’ll know more about exactly how these gene mutations may develop.