Breast cancer screening mammography not a true life saver

For a woman in the screening subset of mammography-detectable cancers, there is a less than 5% chance that a mammogram will save her life. – Women are often told that mammography saves lives. But rarely is the question asked, ‘how often?’

New breast imaging BSGI effective in detection of breast cancers

New breast imaging technology – breast specific gamma imaging – BSGI targets hard-to-detect cancers – Breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) is effective in the detection of cancers not found on mammograms or by clinical exam, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Some breast cancers may regress naturally

Some breast cancers detected by repeated mammographic screening would not persist to be detectable by a single mammogram at the end of 6 years, and this raises the possibility that the natural course of some screen-detected invasive breast cancers is to spontaneously regress. – Breast cancer rates increased significantly in four Norwegian counties after women there began undergoing mammography every two years, according to a report in the November 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Combined hormone therapy increases lobular breast cancer risk

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center leads first study designed to evaluate the association between combined HRT use and the risk of lobular breast cancers. – Postmenopausal women who take combined estrogen/progestin hormone-replacement therapy for three years or more face a fourfold increased risk of developing various forms of lobular breast cancer, according to new findings by researchers.

Health Newstrack