Smash a melon, NOT my Boob!
Resources
This collection of breast health resources represents the most critical dimensions of the mammography debate: general critiques of screening, ethical concerns about informed consent, the profound issue of overdiagnosis and overtreatment (particularly with DCIS), and the importance of rethinking cancer terminology. It also covers systematic reviews, registry data, the measurable risks of radiation and treatment harms, and the growing evidence for alternatives such as active surveillance. Together, these categories provide a comprehensive framework for understanding not only the scientific and clinical issues, but also the ethical and human consequences of breast cancer screening. For informed care, this structured evidence base ensures patients and clinicians can make decisions grounded in transparency, balance, and respect for patient autonomy.
															Books
Books on Mammography & Screening
- Opting Out is an Informed Choice; Experts Explain the Harms of Mammograms by Donna Pino with DCIS411.com
 - Mammography screening: The great hoax by Peter C. Gøtzsche of the Institute for Scientific Freedom
 - The Smart Woman’s Guide to Breast Cancer, by Dr. Jenn Simmons with Real Health MD
 - Mammography Screening: Truth, Lies and Controversy, by Peter Gotzsche
 - Conspiracy of Hope: The Truth about Breast Cancer Screening, by Renée Pellerin
 - Stop Breast Cancer Before it Starts, by Samuel S. Epstein MD
 - Busting Breast Cancer; Five Simple Steps to Keep Breast Cancer out of Your Body, by Susan Wadia-Ells
 - Mammography Wars: Analyzing Attention in Cultural and Medical Disputes, by Asia Friedman
 
- Opting Out is an Informed Choice; Experts Explain the Harms of Mammograms by Donna Pino with DCIS411.com
 
Videos
Educational Videos
- The Dark Side of Mammography
 - THE PROMISE Film: Exposing the truth about the Routine Breast Screening Program
 - HappyGram
 - bOObs: The War On Women’s Breasts
 - Breast screening: some inconvenient truths by Professor Michael Baum (University College London School of Life and Medical Sciences) 2010 UCL Lunch Hour Lecture 
 Mammography – Does it save lives? | The USPSTF is incorrect | I review ALL the data by Vinay Prasad, MD MPH
Michael Greger, MD FACLM, is a physician, author, and internationally recognized speaker on a number of important public health issues created a videos series on mammograms:
- Nine out of Ten Women Misinformed About Mammograms
 - Mammogram Recommendations: Why the Conflicting Guidelines?
 - Should Women Get Mammograms Starting at Age 40?
 - Do Mammograms Save Lives?
 - Consequences of False-Positive Mammogram Results
 - Do Mammograms Hurt?
 - Can Mammogram Radiation Cause Breast Cancer?
 - Understanding the Mammogram Paradox
 - Overtreatment of Stage 0 Breast Cancer DCIS
 - Women Deserve to Know the Truth About Mammograms
 - Breast Cancer and the Five-Year Survival Rate Myth
 - Why Mammograms Don’t Appear to Save Lives
 - Why Patients Aren’t Informed About Mammograms
 - The Pros and Cons of Mammograms
 
Mammography Harms
General Critiques of Mammography / Screening
- Why Mammograms Do More Harm Than Good: What You Need to Know – Dr. Jenn Simmons
 - Patients deserve the truth: health screening can do more harm than good – The Guardian
 - Routine mammograms don’t save lives: the research is clear – The Conversation
 - Breast cancer screening programme ‘does more harm than good’ – BBC
 - Mammography screening: a major issue in medicine – European Journal of Cancer
 - Mammography screening is harmful and should be abandoned – JRSM
 - Mammography Screening Is a Failed Experiment – John Horgan
 - Our Feel-Good War on Breast Cancer – NY Times Magazine
 - Is October Breast Cancer “Awareness” or “Industry” Month? – McDougall
 - What If Everything Your Doctors Told You About Breast Cancer Was Wrong? – Mother Jones
 
Radiation Harms
Radiation Risk & Treatment Harms
Informed Consent
Informed Consent, Ethics & Communication
- Informed Consent – NCBI
 - Communication Between Patients and Providers and Informed Decision Making – JNCI
 - It is not wrong to say no: Why are women told only the benefits of breast screening and none of the possible harms? – BMJ
 - Supporting Informed Choice Before Screening Mammography Is the Only Ethical Option – AJR
 - Four Principles to Consider Before Advising Women on Screening Mammography – Journal of Women’s Health
 - The Ethics of Screening Mammography – Sensible Med
 - Mammograms have pros and cons. Women can handle the nuance, study argues – NPR
 - Risk literacy: Gerd Gigerenzer TEDx talk
 
Overdiagnosis & Overtreatment
Breast Cancer Overdiagnosis & Overtreatment
- Perspective: The risks of overdiagnosis – Nature
 - Overdiagnosis: causes and consequences in primary health care – PMC
 - Improving Quality by Doing Less: Overdiagnosis – AAFP
 - Effect of Three Decades of Screening Mammography on Breast-Cancer Incidence – NEJM
 - Overdiagnosis in Cancer – JNCI
 - Cancer overdiagnosis: a biological challenge and clinical dilemma – PubMed
 - Overdiagnosis in publicly organised mammography screening programmes – BMJ
 - Overdiagnosis in mammography screening: a 45 year journey – BMJ
 - Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment of Breast Cancer – ASCO
 - What is Overdiagnosis? – Wiser Healthcare
 - Overdiagnosis: when finding cancer can do more harm than good – Cancer Research UK
 - Overdiagnosis and Preventative Screening: Q&A With Ilana Richman – Yale Medicine
 - The growing case for doing less – Fortune
 
DCIS Dilemma
DCIS, Naming & Active Surveillance
- What’s in a name? Why we need to reconsider the word cancer – The Conversation
 - NIH Consensus Conference Urges: Defuse Fears of DCIS – Oncology Times
 - Watchful waiting for ductal carcinoma in situ – Springer
 - DCIS: should we stop calling it “breast cancer”? – Voice Media
 - Should low-risk DCIS lose the cancer label? – PMC
 - Renaming Ductal Carcinoma in Situ: Would Removing “Carcinoma” Reduce Overtreatment? – JNCCN
 - Take Carcinoma Out of DCIS and Ease Off Treatment – Medscape
 - Ductal carcinoma in situ: to treat or not to treat – Nature
 - Cancer outcomes in women without upfront surgery for DCIS – PubMed
 - A morphometric signature to identify ductal carcinoma in situ with a low risk of progression – Nature
 
- What’s in a name? Why we need to reconsider the word cancer – The Conversation
 
Evidence Reviews, Data & Cost
Do Mammograms Save Lives?
- The benefits and harms of breast cancer screening: an independent review – PMC
 - Likelihood that a woman with screen-detected breast cancer has had her “life saved” – PubMed
 - Women’s Acceptance of Overdetection in Breast Cancer Screening – SAGE
 - Mammography Doesn’t Come Without Risk – LA Times
 - National Expenditure For False-Positive Mammograms And Overdiagnoses – Health Affairs
 - Breast Cancer Screening: Let Evidence Trump Fear – Health Affairs
 - Breast-Cancer Tumor Size, Overdiagnosis, and Mammography Screening Effectiveness – NEJM
 - Breast cancer incidence as a function of the number of previous mammograms – bioRxiv
 - Mammography for Breast Cancer Screening: Harm/Benefit Analysis – NBCC
 - The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2025
 
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Disclaimer
The information provided on Smash a Melon, NOT My Boob! is for educational and awareness purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We are not medical professionals.
Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider regarding any medical condition, screening decision, or treatment option.
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