In areas of the USA with high levels of screening, more tumors were diagnosed – but breast cancer death rates were no lower than in areas with fewer screenings, researchers report.
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They analyzed data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) cancer registries which included data from more than 16 million women ages 40 and older from 547 counties in the USA The researchers found that there was a 10 percent rise in breast cancer screening along with a 16 percent increase in breast cancer diagnosis. During that year, more than 53,000 were diagnosed with breast cancer.
But they found no corresponding decrease in breast cancer deaths – which would be expected if the screening was effective.
Breast cancer screenings will be provided to individuals between ages 40 and 64 who have no insurance or insurance with a high deductible for mammograms, and who have not had a mammogram in the last 24 months.
Despite the prevalence of mammograms in women’s’ health literature, there has been no significant reduction in fatalities caused by breast cancer since the initial studies in the 60’s and 70’s.
Researchers who conducted a detailed review regarding principal trials claim that breast cancer screening benefits are greatly overestimated seeing how the figures don’t really support them in practice. “The simplest explanation is widespread overdiagnosis, which increases the incidence of small cancers without changing mortality”.
The team looked at studies on screening for breast, colorectal, cervical, prostate and lung cancers that were started in Sweden in the 1960s and 70s. Over the next 10 years, through the number of diagnoses rose in accordance with the increased number of screenings, the deaths from the disease remained nearly exactly the same. Mammograms can detect cancers that are too small to be detected by a routine self-exam, and those issues need to be identified early to prevent them from growing into bigger problems. A variant of the cancer found in men tends to be more aggressive than the female type while presenting with the same symptoms and signs.
“I do think the guidelines are repeatedly being changed and there’s a lot of controversy”, said Dr. Gilda Cardenosa, Chair of Breast Imaging at VCU Massey Cancer Center.
Harding recommended further research because he believes the “study raises important questions about the benefits of mammography screening, but it certainly does not answer them”. Woman who have a breast density of C (heterogeneously dense) or D (extremely dense) may want to inquire about screening methods besides mammography for early detection.
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“Sadly, we are left in a conundrum”, the commentary authors wrote. Some women undergo biopsies only to be given the all-clear, while others may be treated for a small growth that would not trouble them in their lifetime.
