New study questions impact of screening mammography on breast cancer deaths

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

An invitation to mammography screening may reduce deaths from breast cancer by approximately 28%, or 27 deaths might be avoided for every 1,000 women invited to undergo screening mammography, suggests a study from Norway published in BMJ. However, screening mammography has its drawbacks. An accompanying editorial describes the study results as confirmation of what is known: the benefits of breast cancer screening are modest at best. The editorial points out the need for women to receive balanced information on the harms of potential overdiagnosis, psychological stress, and health care costs, that are also a part of screening. The study results were based on more than 15 million person years of observation. US researchers call for women to be given balanced information to help them make informed decisions about screening.