1. Every
year millions of women are screened with X-rays to pick up signs of breast
cancer. If this happens early enough, the disease can often be treated
successfully. According to a survey Australia, Canada, the U.S. and Spain,
screen women under 50. 2. But the medical benefits of screening
these younger women are controversial, partly because the radiation brings a
small risk of inducing cancer. Also, younger women must be given higher doses of
X-rays because their breast tissue is denser. 3. Researchers at
the Polytechnic University of Valencia analysed the effect of screening more
than 160,000 women at 11 local clinics. After estimating the women's cumulative
dose of radiation, they used two models to calculate the number of extra cancers
this would cause. 4. The mathematical model recommended by
Britain's National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) predicted that the
screening programme would cause 36 cancers per 100,000 women, 18 of them fatal.
The model preferred by the U.N. Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic
Radiation led to a lower figure of 20 cancers. 5. The
researchers argue that the level of radiation-induced cancers is "not very
significant" compared to the far larger number of cancers that are discovered
and treated. The Valencia programme, they say, detects between 300 and 450 cases
of breast cancer in every 100,000 women screened. 6. But they
point out that the risk of women contracting cancer from radiation could be
reduced by between 40% and 80% if screening began at 50 instead of 45, because
they would be exposed to less radiation. The results of their study, they
suggest, could help "optimize the technique" for breast cancer
screening. 7. "There is a trade-off between the diagnostic
benefits of breast screening and its risks," admits Michael Clark of the NRPB.
But he warns that the study should be interpreted with caution. "On the basis of
the current data, for every 10 cancers successfully detected and prevented there
is a risk of causing one later in life. That's why radiation exposure should be
minimized in any screening programme." A. Harm Screening May Do
to a Younger Woman B. Investing the Effect of
Screening C. Effects Predicted by Two Different
Models D. Small Risk of Inducing Cancers from
Radiation E. Treatment of Cancers F. Factors
That Trigger Cancers
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A. be costly
B. harmful
C. save a life
D. still open to debate
E. reduce the risk of radiation triggering a cancer
F. reduced to the minimum
Early discovery of breast cancer may ______.
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Advantages of screening women under 50 are ______.
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Delaying the age at which screening starts may ______.