Mammography is no better than physical examination, study shows

doi:10.1136/bmj.321.7264.785

BMJ 2000;321:785 ( 30 September )

News

Mammography is no better than physical examination, study shows

Deborah Josefson, San Francisco
The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Careful physical breast examination is as effective as screening mammography in reducing mortality from breast cancer in womenaged over 50, according to a new study (Journal of the NationalCancer Institute 2000;92:1490-9).

The second Canadian national breast screening study found that mammography detected breast cancers earlier than physical breastexamination, but surprisingly, earlier detection did not translateinto a survivaladvantage.

The Canadian study, led by Dr Anthony Miller and colleagues at the University of Toronto, followed 39405 women aged 50-59.Only women who were not pregnant, had no history of breast cancer,and had not had mammography within the previous 12 months wereeligible forenrolment.

The women were recruited from six provinces and 15 medical centres between 1980 and 1985 and were randomised into two arms:19711 women received both mammography and physical breast examinationsby nurses or doctors, and 19694 women received physical breastexaminationsalone.

All the women were taught to examine their . . . [Full text of this article]