Making Breast Cancer Prevention a Priority for Women in Radiology

The surprisingly high risks for women who are exposed to radiation

Provider health is Burlington Medical’s first priority. We saw that the flat, unisex style of the vests on the market did not properly fit many women and sometimes allowed the sides of the breasts to be exposed. So we developed the Princess Vest—the first radiation protection vest made to fit the curves of the female body and better protect breast tissue and the axilla area from scatter radiation.

Through our research for the Princess Vest, two things became very clear. Women who work in radiology experience a heightened risk for breast cancer, and there is a lack of research being done on the subject.

The only comprehensive study that we found is Increased Breast Cancer Prevalence Among Female Orthopedic Surgeons by Chou, et al.1 The respondents were female orthopedic surgeons who practiced an average of 21 years and began using fluoroscopy in their mid-20s and early 30s. There were 505 participants with a response rate of 69.7%, which is very strong. When compared to women with similar demographics from the general population with adjustments for age and race, the results were alarming to say the least.

Female orthopedic surgeons had:2

These elevated frequencies of cancer could be due in part to other predisposing factors beyond radiation exposure. The respondents did report having higher rates of night shifts and a lower likelihood of abstaining from alcohol consumption, as well as having no children or fewer children later in life. All of those are risk factors for cancer in women, the lattermost was considered the most striking.

That said, the respondents also had more protective factors than the control group, including a lower body mass index (BMI), and a reduced likelihood of smoking and using menopausal HRT for more than 4 years. All in all it seems very reasonable to assume that the respondents’ work as orthopedic surgeons played a central role in their disproportionate risks for breast cancer specifically and cancer in general.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

There Is a Critical Need for Research Into Cancer Risks for Women in Radiology

This study was conducted in 2012. Despite the heightened risks of breast cancer and other forms of cancer that it demonstrated, we were unable to find any related studies in the eight years since it was published. This may be due to the known gender gap in American radiologists.

But despite that gap, women still represent a significant percentage of radiologists worldwide and those numbers are growing. Additionally, women dominate many supporting roles in radiology and are exposed to the same risks as radiologists and orthopedic surgeons.

Radiation Safety Should Be Practiced at All Times

Although this goes without saying for professionals in the radiology space of any gender, the study indicated that many of the providers were not practicing stringent radiation safety.7

• 7% of the providers reported not using protective shielding

• 80.4% reported that they only used shielding 75% of the time

• 58.8% did not wear thyroid shields

Considering the heightened risk of cancer, female providers should employ every safety precaution. We can make radiation safety as comfortable and comprehensive as possible.

Contact your account manager or call (800) 221-3466 to learn more about the Princess Vest, the only vest made to fit and protect the female body.

1Chou LB, Chandran S, Harris AH, Tung J, Butler LM. Increased Breast Cancer Prevalence Among Female Orthopedic Surgeons. Journal of Women’s Health. Published November 6, 2016. Accessed December 20, 2019.

2Chou LB, Chandran S, Harris AH, Tung J, Butler LM. Increased Breast Cancer Prevalence Among Female Orthopedic Surgeons. Journal of Women’s Health. Published November 6, 2016. Accessed December 20, 2019.

3Sowers L. Bridging the Gender Gap. American College of Radiology.
https://www.acr.org/Practice-Management-Quality-Informatics/Imaging-3/Case-Studies/Strategic-Planning/Bridging-the-Gender-Gap. Published January 02, 2019. Accessed January 12, 2020.

4Radiation Therapists. Data USA. https://datausa.io/profile/soc/291124. Accessed January 12, 2020.

5Walter M. 3 Key Statistics About Gender Disparity in Radiology Around the World.
https://www.radiologybusiness.com/topics/leadership/3-key-statistics-about-gender-disparity-radiology-around-world. Published February 06, 2018. Accessed January 12, 2020.

6Walter M. 3 Key Statistics About Gender Disparity in Radiology Around the World.
https://www.radiologybusiness.com/topics/leadership/3-key-statistics-about-gender-disparity-radiology-around-world. Published February 06, 2018. Accessed January 12, 2020.

7Chou LB, Chandran S, Harris AH, Tung J, Butler LM. Increased Breast Cancer Prevalence Among Female Orthopedic Surgeons. Journal of Women’s Health. Published November 6, 2016. Accessed December 20, 2019.