Screening for Breast Cancer
Authors: Heidi D. Nelson, Benjamin K. Chan
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2010)

Letters2 November 2010Screening for Breast CancerHeidi D. Nelson, MD, MPH and Benjamin K. Chan, MSHeidi D. Nelson, MD, MPHFrom Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239-3098.Search for more papers by this author and Benjamin K. Chan, MSFrom Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239-3098.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-153-9-201011020-00017 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We agree with Dr. Saika and colleagues that adjustment for follow-up time when estimating the NNI to mammography screening to prevent 1 breast cancer death provides more comparable results across age groups. However, the purpose of our meta-analysis was primarily to determine the effectiveness of mammography screening in reducing breast cancer mortality among women in their 40s, not to determine differences between age groups. Estimates of NNI are a way to illustrate magnitudes of effect that may be more relevant to clinical applications than RRs for some audiences. These estimates were calculated in the 2002 review (1), and ...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. Mandelblatt JS, Cronin KA, Bailey S, Berry DA, de Koning HJ, Draisma G, et al; Breast Cancer Working Group of the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network. Effects of mammography screening under different screening schedules: model estimates of potential benefits and harms. Ann Intern Med. 2009;151:738-47. [PMID: 19920274] LinkGoogle Scholar3. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for breast cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med. 2009;151:716-26. [PMID: 19920272] LinkGoogle Scholar4. Miller AB, To T, Baines CJ, Wall C. Canadian National Breast Screening Study-2: 13-year results of a randomized trial in women aged 50-59 years. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2000;92:1490-9. [PMID: 10995804] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239-3098.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEffects of Mammography Screening Under Different Screening Schedules: Model Estimates of Potential Benefits and Harms Jeanne S. Mandelblatt , Kathleen A. Cronin , Stephanie Bailey , Donald A. Berry , Harry J. de Koning , Gerrit Draisma , Hui Huang , Sandra J. Lee , Mark Munsell , Sylvia K. Plevritis , Peter Ravdin , Clyde B. Schechter , Bronislava Sigal , Michael A. Stoto , Natasha K. Stout , Nicolien T. van Ravesteyn , John Venier , Marvin Zelen , Eric J. Feuer , and Screening for Breast Cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation StatementScreening for Breast Cancer: An Update for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Heidi D. Nelson , Kari Tyne , Arpana Naik , Christina Bougatsos , Benjamin K. Chan , and Linda Humphrey Metrics 2 November 2010Volume 153, Issue 9Page: 619KeywordsAge groupsBreast cancerCancer screeningConflicts of interestDeath ratesInformation storage and retrievalMammographyStatistical models ePublished: 2 November 2010 Issue Published: 2 November 2010 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2010 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...