Breast Cancer - Screening

Does Mammography Save Lives?
"There is no reliable evidence that screening decreases breast cancer mortality" was the conclusion of Danish researchers after reviewing eight studies on mammography.

The studies involved roughly half a million women in the U.S. and abroad. Although variations in age and socioeconomic status may have skewed the results in six of the trials, the researchers determined that the two best controlled trials showed mammography screening to have no effect on risk of death from breast cancer.

The review was prompted by a 1999 Swedish study that showed no decrease in cancer deaths from screening, even though mammography has been recommended there since 1985.

Asian countries that still adhere to traditional dishes of rice and vegetables with little meat and dairy products still have much lower rates of breast cancer than those in the West. Alcohol and "hormone replacement" increase risk, while exercise and plant-based diets appear to reduce it.

Gotzsche PC, Olsen O. Is screening for breast cancer with mammography justifiable? Lancet. 2000 Jan 8;355(9198):129-34.

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