General motors cancer research foundation prizes Charles F. Kettering prize. Determining the efficacy of breast cancer screening

T IS NOW WELL ACCEPTED that breast cancer screening I in which mammography has a major role can result in substantial reductions in breast cancer mortalityabout 30% over a 10-year period after screening starts and 25% over the long run of 18 years. This is the picture that emerges from the randomized controlled trial at the Health Insurance Plan (HIP) of Greater New York to test the efficacy of periodic screening with mammography and clinical examination of the breast. Research in other countries is supporting the basic results of the HIP trial.