Screening for Breast Cancer

Letters6 May 2003Screening for Breast CancerLinda L. Humphrey, MD, MPH, Mark Helfand, MD, MS, and Benjamin K.S. Chan, MSLinda L. Humphrey, MD, MPHOregon Health & Science University; Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center(Humphrey, Helfand, Chan)Search for more papers by this author, Mark Helfand, MD, MSOregon Health & Science University; Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center(Humphrey, Helfand, Chan)Search for more papers by this author, and Benjamin K.S. Chan, MSOregon Health & Science University; Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center(Humphrey, Helfand, Chan)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-138-9-200305060-00022 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We agree with Drs. Whiteford and Whiteford that mammography detects many nonlife-threatening malignancies and that, fortunately, it misses many more microscopic ones. Mammography is far from an ideal screening test. However, for clinically important cancer, the sensitivity and specificity of mammography compare favorably with those of other screening tests. Drs. Whiteford and Whiteford also claim that the incidence of breast cancer has tripled because of wider use of mammography and that the death rate from breast cancer has risen sharply. Actually, between 1973 and 1999, a period in which mammography rates increased substantially, the annual incidence of invasive ...References1. SEER cancer statistics review, 19731999. National Cancer Institute. Accessed at seer.cancer.gov/csr/1973_1999/breast.pdf on 25 March 2003. Google Scholar2. Black WC. Overdiagnosis: an underrecognized cause of confusion and harm in cancer screening [Editorial]. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2000;92:1280-2. [PMID: 10944539] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Humphrey L, Helfand M. Screening for Breast Cancer. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2002. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Oregon Health & Science University; Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center(Humphrey, Helfand, Chan) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoBreast Cancer Screening: A Summary of the Evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Linda L. Humphrey , Mark Helfand , Benjamin K.S. Chan , and Steven H. Woolf Screening for Breast Cancer: Recommendations and RationaleThe Mammography Dilemma Steven N. Goodman Screening for Breast Cancer John K. Whiteford and John Ryan Whiteford Screening for Breast Cancer Peter C. Gtzsche Metrics 6 May 2003Volume 138, Issue 9Page: 770KeywordsBreast cancerCancer screeningDeath ratesDuctal carcinoma in situMammographyMastectomySpecificitySurgeonsSystematic reviews ePublished: 6 May 2003 Issue Published: 6 May 2003 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...