The Big Squeeze: A Social and Political History of the Controversial Mammogram

Mammography has never been far from controversy, notes Reynolds, former chief of breast radiology at Indiana University. The cancer screening test has been lashed, he says, by political, social, and financial forces that have muddled the picture regarding its risks and benefits. This book is a quiet call for a more frank discussion of what an “indispensable tool” mammography is in the fight against breast cancer, without ignoring the test’s risks. Reynolds takes a critical look at the “breast cancer epidemic”; the ever-shifting guidelines regarding the age at which women should be screened ( 40? 50?); confusing interpretations of trial results; the role of breast cancer activists in promoting mammograms; and the profitable industry that has grown up around mammography. And after 40 years of screening, there still remains a stubborn silence about false readings and overdiagnosis. “Women... need complete and accurate information regarding the risks and benefits,” Reynolds asserts—and this brief, clear volume can be the first step in achieving that goal. (Aug.)