Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Breast screening outcomes

The press coverage being given to today’s report about the national breast cancer screening programme tend to suggest that there are only two possible outcomes for a woman who chooses to accept an invitation to attend for a mammogram: a life saved through early detection of cancer, or ‘overtreatment’ of a cancer which will never develop into anything threatening.

In fact the most likely outcome by far – the great majority of women (say 90%) will be told ‘All clear, dear.’

A rather expensive method of achieving the reduction in harm.

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