Breast practices: The mammogram dilemma

There is growing evidence that screening mammograms aren't all they've been cracked up to be. This month it was "More mammograms, more problems" — a study showing that screening every year (instead of every other) didn't produce any benefit but did produce twice as many false alarms and twice as many biopsies. A few weeks earlier, another study (which I coauthored) suggested that roughly one-third of breast cancers diagnosed under current screening guidelines would never cause problems and didn't actually need to be diagnosed.

By H. Gilbert Welch

February 21, 2013