Annual Mammography Offers No Improvement In Breast Cancer Mortality Among Middle-aged Women A DGReview of :"Canadian National Breast Screening Study-2: 13-Year Results of a Randomized Trial in Women Aged 50–59 Years" Adding annual mammography screening to physical examination does not reduce breast cancer mortality for women 50 to 59 years of age. Canadian researchers studied 39,405 women in that age group to see if adding annual mammographic exams to physical examinations of the breasts would improve their mortality rate from breast cancer. "We've found that breast cancer mortality is almost identical in the two groups," comments Anthony Miller, MD, of the University of Toronto, a study author. After 13 years of follow-up, investigators found that participants in the physical examination plus mammography group had a 1.02 cumulative rate ratio for deaths from breast cancer, compared to women who had physical examinations only. Participants volunteered at 15 screening centres across Canada between January 1980 and March 1985. They were followed using the Canadian National Cancer Registry and the National Mortality Database until December 1993. Active follow-up of breast cancer patients continued until June 1996. Researchers randomly assigned 19,711 women to the combined mammography/physical examination group. Another 19,694 women were assigned to receive physical examinations only. All participants were also taught breast self-examination. During screening and follow-up, 622 women in the combination group were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. A total of 610 women in the physical examination group had the same diagnosis. At 13-year follow-up, a total of 107 women in the combination group and 105 in the physical examination group had died of breast cancer. "We are not discounting the value of screening mammograms compared to no screening at all," Cornelia Baines, MD, also of the U of T and a study author, points out. "But we are saying that effective and regular breast physical examinations with breast self-examination are an alternative to annual mammograms for women in their 50s." Thanks to Elda Hauschildt and Doctors' Guide Lancet, 10/01 Cochrane Review on Screening Debate on Mammogram's Value 12/17/01, New York Times Study: Newspaper Reporting of Screening Mammography Putting Mammos to the Test Mammo Editorial 2/6/02 Letter to the Editor-NY Times Science, Politics & Mammogram Cancer Studies May Have Bias What's Behind it All? AP article on Lancet study 2/01/02 Regular Mammograms Save Lives (study via UK) February 8, 2002 JNCI 2/02 Breath Test To Dectect Ulcers (linked to Cancer) Possible Blood Test for Colon Cancer Hand Held Device May Detect Cancer Diagnsotic Imaging Technique:3TP Pilot Study: Canine Scent Detection Lung/Breast Ca Center for Medical Consumers Researchers Interviewed by M.Napoli Chicago Tribune, 2/17/02 Chicago Tribune, 3/15/02 Nature, 3/02 CA Cancer J Clin, 3-4/02 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.