We came across a couple of posts on Facebook and Instagram claiming that Switzerland has banned mammograms due to their risks. The posts cite various reasons for the ban, including high rates of false positives, high radiation exposure and the possibility that mammograms themselves could cause cancer.
Are mammograms ineffective?
Despite its limitations, mammograms are considered the most reliable breast cancer screening tool currently available. One limitation is the possibility of a false-positive result where the mammogram appears abnormal even though there is no cancer. In such cases, follow-up tests are needed to confirm the absence of cancer.
However, claims that 50-60% of tests produce false positives are misleading. Experts have found that among women who are screened annually for 10 years, the likelihood of obtaining at least one false-positive result is approximately 50-60%.
In addition, there is no evidence to support the claims that mammograms expose women to high levels of radiation and can cause cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, the dose of radiation that women are exposed to during mammograms is low, and people are annually exposed to seven times that amount in their daily lives.
Experts also agree that the benefits of regular screenings, which allow for early detection of cancer, outweigh any risks posed by the radiation from mammograms which in any case is lower than that of standard X-rays.
Has Switzerland banned mammograms?
There are no official reports confirming that Switzerland has banned mammograms. While mammogram screenings are not offered in every canton (state), they are available in 14 of the 26 cantons in Switzerland.
A spokesperson from Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health also confirmed that the country has not banned mammograms.
Hence, the claim that Switzerland has banned mammograms due to their risks is false.
Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer among women in Singapore and one of the most common cancers in adults worldwide. Despite assurances from experts that mammograms are a reliable screening tool, we have observed repeated misinformation surrounding mammograms.
Fact-checking platforms, including Black Dot Research, have debunked various claims related to mammograms, such as the notion that they increase the risk of dying from breast cancer. The potential danger of repeatedly encountering these false claims and engaging with social media posts that share false claims can pull us into echo chambers that reinforce these claims, especially in the absence of exposure to credible information.
Therefore, to prevent the spread of false information, it is essential to verify information against credible sources, even if one comes across it repeatedly.
