Breast Cancer Screening: Mammograms

Abstract

Breast cancer is a common and deadly cancer among women. It has been determined that 120/1,000 women in America will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, and 40,000 women die of breast cancer every year. Mammograms can detect breast cancer early, and it is felt that regular testing can decrease breast cancer death. However, while one woman out of 1,000 who have lifetime mammography avert a breast cancer death, the test has a high rate of false positive findings and leads to unnecessary testing and treatment. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding the benefits of breast cancer screening and subsequent risks associated with medical intervention. Information presented to doctors and patients tends to be misleading and difficult to interpret. This is due, in large part, to the use of relative risks rather than absolute values when communicating information on breast cancer screening benefits. In light of this situation, a unique graphic, functioning as a decision aid, has been developed to enable physicians and patients to jointly assess the benefits and risks of breast cancer screening and eventual medical intervention. By characterizing the complexities of risk analysis in terms patients can understand, means they will be able to make well-informed decisions about their health.