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”.
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While researchers found a correlation between the extent of screening and breast cancer incidence, they found no correlation between screening and reduced breast cancer deaths. There was no relationship between screening and advanced-stage cancer, which was troubling to numerous researchers who saw the lack of decrease in mortality rates.
Other tests may be more effective than a mammogram for detecting breast cancer, particularly in dense breast tissue, Katz writes. Authors explained that the cause of these anomalies is “widespread over-diagnosis” which is accountable for finding smaller tumors but does not change the death rate among breast cancer patients. researchers noted that mortality rate doesn’t budge even where the number of diagnosed cancers almost doubles.
The study indicates that because of the fact that women are wrongly diagnosed with cancer they undergo chemotherapy for tumors which would not have actually caused problems.
Dr. Matthew Lam, senior research communications officer at Breast Cancer Now, said: “These findings could one day help us better identify and treat patients that might be at risk of their breast cancer spreading to the brain, a particularly common site for metastasis”. Counties were included in the study if they reported the percentage of women ages 40 and above who had a screening mammogram between 1998 and 2000.
Still, doctors should view the data with a wary eye, researchers said in an accompanying editorial.
When used in combination with mammography, the new technology is able to detect an additional two or three cancers in every 1,000 women screened.
About 10 years ago, the switch to digital mammography improved identification of cancer in dense breast tissue by 30 percent, but for some women, that’s still not good enough.
While screening guidelines vary, the government-backed U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says average-risk women should have mammograms every other year between ages 50 and 74. The 10% increase in breast cancer screening was linked to a 25% rise in small breast cancers, or tumors that are 2 cm or less, Medical News Today reports. 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.
Some experts are sceptical about the benefits – arguing that catching a tumour early pushes women into having potentially harmful treatment such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy – in some cases completely unnecessarily. There wasn’t an increase in diagnosis of large, and presumably more advanced tumors.
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But there was no reduction in the number of large tumours, which should have been seen if screening was effective and the cancers had been spotted before they grew.
