The problem with mammography is not false positives - it's that there is no way to tell if the tiny abnormalities discovered by mammograms (and confirmed with additional tests, including biopsies) are deadly cancer that will spread and kill a woman or if they are completely harmless. Yes, deadly cancer and completely harmless abnormalities look exactly the same in every way, even under a microscope. And yes, women lose all or part of a breast, and go through radiation and chemotherapy for completley harmless conditions all the time.
There's just no way to tell which abnormalities are deadly, so all of them are treated. The situation is this: for every woman whose life is saved, about 10 women are treated needlessly. Please see www.screening.dk for more information, and please read the part where the scientists detail their sources - it's all in the pamphlet. This is hard data, not speculation - overdiagnosis is real, and women lose their breasts and health needlessly all the time.
Mammography was urged on an entire population of healthy women without proper evidence that its benefits outweigh the risks. One organization that does a good job explaining the benefits and harms of screening mammography is the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Please see their well-reasoned, responsible position statement here: http://www.stopbreastcancer.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=133&Itemid=180
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The problem with mammography is not false positives - it's that there is no way to tell if the tiny abnormalities discovered by mammograms (and confirmed with additional tests, including biopsies) are deadly cancer that will spread and kill a woman or if they are completely harmless. Yes, deadly cancer and completely harmless abnormalities look exactly the same in every way, even under a microscope. And yes, women lose all or part of a breast, and go through radiation and chemotherapy for completley harmless conditions all the time.
There's just no way to tell which abnormalities are deadly, so all of them are treated. The situation is this: for every woman whose life is saved, about 10 women are treated needlessly. Please see www.screening.dk for more information, and please read the part where the scientists detail their sources - it's all in the pamphlet. This is hard data, not speculation - overdiagnosis is real, and women lose their breasts and health needlessly all the time.
Mammography was urged on an entire population of healthy women without proper evidence that its benefits outweigh the risks. One organization that does a good job explaining the benefits and harms of screening mammography is the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Please see their well-reasoned, responsible position statement here: http://www.stopbreastcancer.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=133&Itemid=180
August 2, 2009 - 5:07pmThis Comment
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