Study: Mammograms don’t reduce breast cancer mortality

Editor's Note

Mammography for detection of breast cancer does not reduce the number of deaths from the disease and may lead to overdiagnosis, this study finds.

Researchers analyzed data of more than 16 million women in 547 countries in 2000 and followed them for 10 years.

The results showed a 10% increase in mammography, which was associated with a 16% increase in breast cancer diagnosis. However, there was no reduction in the rate of breast cancer deaths.

The risk of overdiagnosis is that women could be subjected to unnecessary treatment and undue anxiety. 

Importance Screening mammography rates vary considerably by location in the United States, providing a natural opportunity to investigate the associations of screening with breast cancer incidence and mortality, which are subjects of debate. Objective To examine the associations between rates of modern screening mammography and the incidence of breast cancer, mortality from breast cancer, and tumor size.