Screening for Breast Cancer
Authors: Peter C. Gtzsche
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Letters6 May 2003Screening for Breast CancerPeter C. Gtzsche, MDPeter C. Gtzsche, MDRighospitalet Nordic Cochrane Centre; DK-2100 Copenhagen , DenmarkSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-138-9-200305060-00021 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Humphrey and colleagues (1) noted that misclassification of cause of death could change the direction of the results of the trials they examined. However, they argued that the reduction in rates of advanced breast cancer in the Two-County Study (which are not related to judgments on cause of death) is similar to the reduction in breast cancer mortality. The problem with this reasoning is that assessment of cause of death is unreliable and biased in favor of screening (2). This was recently confirmed. The 2002 overview of the Swedish trials (3) reported only a 10% reduction in ...References1. Humphrey LL, Helfand M, Chan BK, Woolf SH. Breast cancer screening: a summary of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:347-60. [PMID: 12204020] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Olsen O, Gtzsche PC. Systematic review of screening for breast cancer with mammography. Accessed at image.thelancet.com/lancet/extra/fullreport.pdf on 25 March 2003. Google Scholar3. Nystrm L, Andersson I, Bjurstam N, Frisell J, Nordenskjld B, Rutqvist LE. Long-term effects of mammography screening: updated overview of the Swedish randomised trials. Lancet. 2002;359:909-19. [PMID: 11918907] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Tabar L, Vitak B, Chen HH, Duffy SW, Yen MF, Chiang CF, et al. . The Swedish Two-County Trial twenty years later. Updated mortality results and new insights from long-term follow-up. Radiol Clin North Am. 2000;38:625-51. [PMID: 10943268] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Screening for breast cancer: recommendations and rationale. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:344-6. [PMID: 12204019] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Righospitalet Nordic Cochrane Centre; DK-2100 Copenhagen , DenmarkDisclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily the views or the official policy of the Cochrane Collaboration. 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 RationaleScreening for Breast Cancer Linda L. Humphrey , Mark Helfand , and Benjamin K.S. Chan The Mammography Dilemma Steven N. Goodman Screening for Breast Cancer John K. Whiteford and John Ryan Whiteford Metrics 6 May 2003Volume 138, Issue 9Page: 769-770KeywordsAnxietyBiopsyBreast cancerCancer screeningHeartMastectomyMortalityRadiation therapyRandomized trialsReasoning ePublished: 6 May 2003 Issue Published: 6 May 2003 CopyrightCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...