Ramifications of screening for breast cancer: More debate and better information still needed

doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7543.728-a

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

Letter

Ramifications of screening for breast cancer

More debate and better information still needed

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

EDITOR—Rather than end the debate about screening, asDixon's editorial suggests,¹ and look to the future, it wouldbe preferable to raise the current level of debate by presentingbalanced arguments, avoid misleading presentation of statistics,and consider current evidence about over-treatment² and poorquality information.³ Efforts may have been made, as Dixon says,to provide women with sufficient information to make an informedchoice, but they have not been successful: the quality stillfalls far short. The criticism made in 2003 is still valid.⁴

Barratt et al have since devised a model of outcomes of mammographicscreening showing estimates of benefits and harms that is readilyusable by women considering breast screening.⁵ They advise thatcomprehensive information about cancer screening, in line withrecommendations from the General Medical Council, should bebalanced (describing benefits and harms over a similar timeframe, such as 10 years) and that . . . [Full text of this article]

Hazel Thornton, honorary visiting fellow

Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester "Saionara," Rowhedge, Colchester CO5 7EA hazelcagct@keme.co.uk