Breast cancer

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Mammographic screening induces a 25 percent reduction in breath cancer mortality according to a meta-analysis.

But there is still a controversy about the value of the ratio  Benefit/harm of breath cancer screening among public  health searchers. A norwegian public health searcher states that it is possible that 36% of invasive breath cancer of organised mammography screening programs could be in fact overdiagnosed.

Further research should be to implement on that matter with regard of the human and economic cost of over-diagnosis.

Indeed there is only two possibilities when a cancer is screened by organised program: either it is advanced diagnosis or it is over-diagnosis. In the first case the cancer would have been clinically diagnosed later after the lead time interval. In the second case the cancer would have never been clinically diagnosed during the remaining life time of the women.

Mammography saves lives (30 percent)

Today is published on line the results of the 29 years follow up of a randomized trial comparing 77 080 women invited to mammographic screening during seven years to 55 985 ones receiving usual cares during the same period.

29 years later breast cancer mortality was 30 percent less in the mammographic screening group.

The precedent results of this cohort was published in 2003 and already highlighted a 27 percent reduction of breast cancer mortality and 13 percent reduction in all cause mortality.

The Los Angeles Times disseminates these intersting results.