Study questions whether mammograms do more harm than good

Washington Post : A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine questions the effectiveness of mammograms in reducing mortality due to breast cancer. In 2000 the researchers looked at data on 16 million US women who were 40 years old or older and found that more than 53 000 were diagnosed with breast cancer. After following those women for the next 10 years, they found that the mammography screenings led to the diagnosis of more smaller cancers but not to that of larger and more dangerous ones. In addition, they found no difference in the overall rate of death from the disease. Particularly alarming were the number of false-positive results. The researchers conclude that breast cancer screening, more so than other types of cancer screening, may unintentionally lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment, which could outweigh its benefits.