But striking the proper balance is challenging. Unfortunately, it is not easy to weigh breast cancer’s dangers against the cumulative effects of radiation from dozens of mammograms over the years, the invasiveness of biopsies, and the debilitating impact of treating slow-growing tumors that would never have proven fatal.
很显然，如此频密的筛查只会弊大于利。而在此之间寻找一个合适的平衡点也是相当有难度的。其中最不幸的，莫过于我们知道连续多年进行X光照射会产生辐射累积效应，活体组织检查会对人体造成伤害，同时治疗那些缓慢生长且永远不会证明是恶性的肿瘤也将损害患者的健康，但这些因素相对于乳腺癌的危险性该如何权衡则并非易事。