How common is the overdiagnosis with public breast cancer screening programs?
Roughly one in three breast cancers detected in publically organized mammography screening programs is overdiagnosed, meaning that the malignancy will not cause symptoms or death in the patient’s lifetime, according to a report in the July 10th Online First issue of the British Medical Journal. In the new study, Dr. Karsten Juhl Jorgensen and Dr. Peter C. Gotzsche, from The Nordic Cochrane Center, Copenhagen, analyzed how breast cancer rates changed after publicly organized screening programs were introduced in the UK, Canada, Australia, Sweden, and Norway. Data from at least 7 years before and after the programs were introduced were analyzed and was obtained from both screened and non-screened age groups. An increase in breast cancer rates was noted in each country that was closely associated with the introduction of screening, the report indicates. Moreover, very little of this increase was compensated for by a fall in breast cancer rates among previously screened women, the authors
Roughly one in three breast cancers detected in publically organized mammography screening programs is overdiagnosed, meaning that the malignancy will not cause symptoms or death in the patient’s lifetime, according to a report in the July 10th Online First issue of the British Medical Journal. In the new study, Dr. Karsten Juhl Jorgensen and Dr. Peter C. Gotzsche, from The Nordic Cochrane Center, Copenhagen, analyzed how breast cancer rates changed after publicly organized screening programs were introduced in the UK, Canada, Australia, Sweden, and Norway. Data from at least 7 years before and after the programs were introduced were analyzed and was obtained from both screened and non-screened age groups. An increase in breast cancer rates was noted in each country that was closely associated with the introduction of screening, the report indicates. Moreover, very little of this increase was compensated for by a fall in breast cancer rates among previously screened women, the authors
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Roughly one in three breast cancers detected in publically organized mammography screening programs is overdiagnosed, meaning that the malignancy will not cause symptoms or death in the patient’s lifetime, according to a report in the July 10th Online First issue of the British Medical Journal. In the new study, Dr. Karsten Juhl Jorgensen and Dr. Peter C. Gotzsche, from The Nordic Cochrane Center, Copenhagen, analyzed how breast cancer rates changed after publicly organized screening programs were introduced in the UK, Canada, Australia, Sweden, and Norway. The overall rate of overdiagnosis was 52% and ranged from 46% in Sweden to 59% in Canada. When only invasive breast cancers were considered, the rate of overdiagnosis was 35%. Sources: http://www.cancerpage.com/news/article.asp?
