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RADIATION EXPOSURE

Exposure to ionizing radiation can increase your risk for breast cancer. Ionizing radiation is associated with x-rays, radioactivity or nuclear energy. Ionizing radiation can cause direct damage to cells and therefore increases the chance of cancer developing.

Exposure can occur in rare situations, such as through industrial accidents involving radioactive material, or by being near the detonation site of a nuclear weapon or test.

Most commonly, exposure occurs during radiation therapy, which is a treatment for many types of cancer. Radiation to the chest area can increase the risk for breast cancer. Radiation to the chest is part of the treatment for Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymph system. Studies have found a link between radiation therapy for Hodgkin's disease and elevated breast cancer risk.

People encounter some ionizing radiation when they have x-rays taken, such as during screening mammography. However, the dose of radiation used for mammography is low and carefully controlled. In addition, most women do not have mammograms very frequently. The infrequent exposure to a small amount of radiation is outweighed by the benefits of mammography for detecting and diagnosing breast cancer early.