Supplemental Ultrasonography Screening for Women With Dense Breasts
Authors: Brandon Hayse, Donald R. Lannin
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2015)

Letters2 June 2015Supplemental Ultrasonography Screening for Women With Dense BreastsBrandon Hayse, BS and Donald R. Lannin, MDBrandon Hayse, BSFrom Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.Search for more papers by this author and Donald R. Lannin, MDFrom Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L15-5061-2 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Sprague and colleagues (1) nicely describe the limited benefit of screening breast ultrasonography and the high cost and harm of false-positive results leading to unnecessary biopsies. However, they did not mention the most serious harm of screening: overdiagnosis (2, 3) leading to unnecessary treatment of cases of indolent cancer that would never become clinically apparent. Our experience in Connecticut since enactment of the Breast Density Insurance and Notification Law of 2009 leads us to believe that screening breast ultrasonography greatly increases the risk for overdiagnosis.A total of 46% (17 of 37) of cases of breast cancer ...References1. Sprague BL, Stout NK, Schechter C, van Ravesteyn NT, Cevik M, Alagoz O, et al. Benefits, harms, and cost-effectiveness of supplemental ultrasonography screening for women with dense breasts. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:157-66. [PMID: 25486550] doi:10.7326/M14-0692 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Bleyer A, Welch HG. Effect of three decades of screening mammography on breast-cancer incidence. N Engl J Med. 2012;367:1998-2005. [PMID: 23171096] doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1206809 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Miller AB, Wall C, Baines CJ, Sun P, To T, Narod SA. Twenty five year follow-up for breast cancer incidence and mortality of the Canadian National Breast Screening Study: randomised screening trial. BMJ. 2014;348:g366. [PMID: 24519768] doi:10.1136/bmj.g366 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Brandon Hayse, BS; Donald R. Lannin, MDAffiliations: From Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterest Forms.do?msNum=L15-0183. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoBenefits, Harms, and Cost-Effectiveness of Supplemental Ultrasonography Screening for Women With Dense Breasts Brian L. Sprague , Natasha K. Stout , Clyde Schechter , Nicolien T. van Ravesteyn , Mucahit Cevik , Oguzhan Alagoz , Christoph I. Lee , Jeroen J. van den Broek , Diana L. Miglioretti , Jeanne S. Mandelblatt , Harry J. de Koning , Karla Kerlikowske , Constance D. Lehman , and Anna N.A. Tosteson Benefits, Harms, and Cost-Effectiveness of Supplemental Ultrasonography Screening for Women With Dense Breasts Brian L. Sprague , Natasha K. Stout , Clyde Schechter , Nicolien T. van Ravesteyn , Mucahit Cevik , Oguzhan Alagoz , Christoph I. Lee , Jeroen J. van den Broek , Diana L. Miglioretti , Jeanne S. Mandelblatt , Harry J. de Koning , Karla Kerlikowske , Constance D. Lehman , and Anna N.A. Tosteson Supplemental Ultrasonography Screening for Women With Dense Breasts Wendie A. Berg and David Gur Supplemental Ultrasonography Screening for Women With Dense Breasts Elaine J. Schattner Supplemental Ultrasonography Screening for Women With Dense Breasts Brian L. Sprague , Constance D. Lehman , and Anna N.A. Tosteson Supplemental Ultrasonography Screening for Women With Dense Breasts Wendie A. Berg and David Gur Supplemental Ultrasonography Screening for Women With Dense Breasts Elaine J. Schattner Supplemental Ultrasonography Screening for Women With Dense Breasts Brian L. Sprague , Constance D. Lehman , and Anna N.A. Tosteson Metrics Cited byBreast Cancer Screening: Is There Room for De-escalation?Breast cancer biology varies by method of detection and may contribute to overdiagnosis 2 June 2015Volume 162, Issue 11Page: 801-802KeywordsBreast cancerCancer screeningCancer treatmentConflicts of interestDatabasesDisclosureMammographyMortalitySurveillance Epidemiology and End ResultsUltrasound imaging ePublished: 2 June 2015 Issue Published: 2 June 2015 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2015 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...