Screening for Breast Cancer
Authors: John K. Whiteford, John Ryan Whiteford
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Letters6 May 2003Screening for Breast CancerJohn K. Whiteford, MD and John Ryan Whiteford, MDJohn K. Whiteford, MDVerona, PA 15147 (Whiteford)University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (Ryan, Whiteford)Search for more papers by this author and John Ryan Whiteford, MDVerona, PA 15147 (Whiteford)University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (Ryan, Whiteford)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-138-9-200305060-00020 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We write in response to Humphrey and colleagues' article on breast cancer screening (1). The annual rate of new, treated cases of breast cancer has more than tripled since mammography screening began in the United States, an increase exclusive to women who have been screened.Four random autopsy studies (2-5), using Kramer's exhaustive microscopic detection technique, predict that 16 million women with undiagnosed breast cancer are present in the current population of the United States. Of those cancers, 88% are in situ and 12% are invasive. Most women with breast cancer do not benefit from treatment, since ...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. Kramer WM, Rush BF. Mammary duct proliferation in the elderly. A histopathologic study. Cancer. 1973;31:130-7. [PMID: 4345607] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Alpers CE, Wellings SR. The prevalence of carcinoma in situ in normal and cancer-associated breasts. Hum Pathol. 1985;16:796-807. [PMID: 2991111] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Nielsen M, Thomsen JL, Primdahl S, Dyreborg U, Andersen JA. Breast cancer and atypia among young and middle-aged women: a study of 110 medicolegal autopsies. Br J Cancer. 1987;56:814-9. [PMID: 2829956] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Nielsen M, Jensen J, Andersen J. Precancerous and cancerous breast lesions during lifetime and at autopsy. A study of 83 women. Cancer. 1984;54:612-5. [PMID: 6744199] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: John K. Whiteford, MD; John Ryan Whiteford, MDAffiliations: Verona, PA 15147 (Whiteford)University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (Ryan, Whiteford) 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 Breast 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 RationaleU.S. Preventive Services Task Force*Screening for Breast Cancer Peter C. Gtzsche Screening for Breast Cancer Linda L. Humphrey , Mark Helfand , and Benjamin K.S. Chan The Mammography Dilemma Steven N. Goodman Metrics Cited bySocial Patterning of Screening Uptake and the Impact of Facilitating Informed Choices: Psychological and Ethical Analyses 6 May 2003Volume 138, Issue 9Page: 768-769KeywordsBiopsyBreast cancerBreast cancer screeningCancer screeningCancer treatmentDeath ratesHealth statisticsMammographyScreening guidelinesStatistical data ePublished: 6 May 2003 Issue Published: 6 May 2003 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...