Have you been offered a Thyroid Guard for your Mammogram? Increase in Thyroid Cancer blamed on rays
I am not even sure if a Heavy Apron has been put on me for dental XRays, let alone a thyroid guard for mammograms!
Forum Discussion
- Hello eveyone,
Here is some current and reputable information regarding mammograms and thyroid cancer from the Mayo Clinic in the US
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/mammogram/expert-answers/thyroid-guard/faq-20058239 - Good find @JennyD78 .... interestingly, my surgeon specialises in both Thyroid and Breast Cancers. He actually said that air hostesses and pilots have more exposure to radiation thru their work than those of us on the ground with dental & mammogram rays. Frequent Flyers also get extra exposure - but unless travelling as often as the Flight Attendants and pilots - are less likely to develop cancers due to in flight exposure.
A good friend who had surgery for BC 10+ years ago was diagnosed with thyroid cancer a year or so after. She had half her thyroid removed - they left the other half as it was too tricky to remove at the time. The other half is currently enlarged & pressing on her oesophagus, kinking it & affecting her speech & eating/swallowing. She's been told if she has it removed, she will have a tracheotomy (permanent hole in the throat) - so she declined the surgery as she is on the water a lot in a kayak and feared drowning if she capsized. - Looks like this has been doing the rounds for a while because I found an article from 2011 that addressed the Dr Oz episode. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/health/26brody.html
Essentially it says that yes, diagnoses of thyroid cancer has increased but the death rate has not, indicating that it's just that they're found more often now because of better technology. Nothing wrong with asking for a guard to be used but it's not a reason to hit the panic button, or avoid a dental xray or mammogram.
