Breast Cancer Screening DOES SAVE LIVES

Eugenio Paci, MD, of the ISPO Cancer Prevention and Research Unit in Florence, Italy working with a European breast cancer screening group, published data in the Journal of Medical Screening that clearly showed that screening mammograms save lives. The study was necessitated because of recent controversial data presented by the US Preventive Services Task Force (“USPSTF”) calling for women to wait until age 50 to begin mammograms and having them every other year rather than annually. The USPSTF recommendations were based on the belief that too many false positive tests led to too many unnecessary and expensive follow-up tests.

The European researchers found that for every 1,000 women screened from age 50 to 51, and followed to age 79, an estimated 7 to 9 lives would be saved and; an additional four cases of cancer would be diagnosed early. The screening resulted in 170 women having to have a repeat non-invasive test to rule out cancer (such as a repeat mammogram and or ultrasound of the breast) and 30 women would have to undergo an invasive test such as a biopsy.

The researchers looked at a 10 year period in Europe and expected 30 deaths per 1,000 women from breast cancer of which 19 could be prevented by screening. Their figures showed that 14 women need to be screened to diagnose one case of breast cancer and 111 to 143 need to be screened to save one life.

I will continue to recommend that patients learn how to perform a breast self exam and perform it regularly. We will begin screening our high risk patients at age 40 and others at age 50.

A thorough annual breast exam by the patient’s doctor is advised. A decision on annual mammograms versus every other year should be decided by the patient’s risk factors, family and personal health history, current examination and past mammogram findings.