Mamograms

Mammography uses ionizing radiation to image breast tissue. Ionizing radiation can damage DNA and, at sufficient cumulative dose, increase cancer risk. CDC and cancer organizations describe the dose from mammography as low, and screening recommendations are based on balancing that small radiation risk against early detection benefits. The strongest cancer-relevance statement is not that mammograms are a major cause, but that they add small cumulative radiation exposure, especially relevant when imaging is frequent or begins at younger ages.