Breast cancer screening challenged

01 November 2000

Annual mammograms do not reduce breast cancer deaths, say Canadian researchers.

The team studied 40,000 women aged 50 to 59 as part of the Canadian National Breast Screening Study 2 and found that mammograms made no difference to those women who were trained in self examination and who undergo regular physical breast examinations by a health professional.

These findings add to several similar studies which show that regular physical examinations are equally effective and may even be superior to x-rays (Lancet, 2000; 356: 1087).

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