After re-analyzing studies originally performed on the benefits of mammograms and finding them unconvincing, Danish researcher Dr. Peter Gotzsche made a claim about the ineffectiveness of mammograms in a study published in “The Lancet” in October 2006.

Since that publication, other doctors have joined in saying not only do mammograms offer no protection, they may actually increase women’s risk of cancer because the process by which they are performed exposes patients to radiation.

“The latest evidence shifts the balance towards harm and away from benefits,” said Dr. Michael Baum of University College in London.

Here’s something you may find to be a bit concerning. Canadian columnist Dr. W. Gifford-Jones says women between the ages of 40 and 49 who have mammograms on a regular basis are twice as likely to lose their lives from breast cancer as women who are not screened.

Gifford-Jones outlined other risks as well. Some authorities say the squeezing of women’s breasts during mammograms may actually result in ruptured blood vessels, causing cancer to spread to other parts of the body, making a patient’s risk of death higher.

Studies show that 30 percent of time, mammograms fail to detect cancer in women aged 40 to 49. Aside from that it can take up to eight years before a breast tumor is large enough to be detected. Eight years is certainly enough time for the cancer to spread to other parts of the body.

Aside from being a waste of time, mammograms are out right dangerous and can even have deadly repercussions.