BMJ  2006;332:728 (25 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7543.728

Letter

Ramifications of screening for breast cancer

Consent for screening

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—In 1987, while I was professor of surgery at King's College London, I was given the task of establishing the first mammographic screening unit in southeast England. This followed the findings of the Forrest committee that were announced by Margaret Thatcher two weeks before a general election. My colleagues from the radiology department and I took great pride in setting up a purpose built unit at Camberwell Green, and within a year of receiving our instructions we were up and running and serving as the training unit for the south east of England. I was then appointed to the national steering committee of the NHS breast screening programme.

Working at the "sharp end" provided me with a somewhat different perspective to the epidemiologists, managers, and other servants of the state who served alongside me. I soon learnt first hand of the "toxic side effects" of the process and . . . [Full text of this article]

University College London Portland Hospital, London W1N 6AH michael@mbaum.freeserve.co.uk

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