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The benefits of breast cancer screening are superior to harm
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Large-scale studies of the European screening network, which included representatives of nine European countries, conducted a survey of methods for detecting breast cancer. Scientists managed to establish that the benefit of diagnosis exceeds its harm.
The results of research published in the journal The Journal of Medical Screening show that a biennial screening can save an average of seven to nine lives per thousand women between the ages of 50 and 69 years. On average, four women out of a thousand screening will help establish a new, accurate diagnosis.
Scientists evaluated the benefits of screening. They analyzed data on the death rate of women from breast cancer and determined how many women screened their lives. That is, if women did not undergo a breast cancer examination, the oncological disease could progress without giving any signs. Accordingly, it would be possible to diagnose the cancer at a late stage of its development, which would lead to a lethal outcome.
This study also used data from the second working group, the European Network for Indicators on Cancer (EUNICE), which analyzed and collected information on 26 screening programs in 18 countries. These studies were conducted from 2001 to 2007. Over this period, 12 million women were monitored.
Professor Stephen Duffy of the London-based Institute of Preventive Medicine named Wolfson, one of the coordinators of the EUROSCREEN program, says: "These are the only large-scale studies of programs for the diagnosis of cancer in Europe. These surveys show the results of surveys of millions of women and confirm the findings of a study conducted several years ago. In particular, the effectiveness of diagnostics exceeds the possible harm caused by such procedures as mammography. "
"We hope that, thanks to our research, every woman will have the opportunity to weigh for herself all the pros and cons of screening and make an informed choice," says co-author of the research, Dr. Eugenio Paci.
Recently, the screening procedure causes a lot of discussion about the harm it causes. Therefore, it is time to find out what is outweighed by the benefits or harm.
Experts believe that it is simply not enough to conduct research, as an important component of the prevention and treatment of breast cancer is the awareness of women about this cancer and the methods of its diagnosis and treatment.