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medpundit |
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Monday, April 28, 2003In the new study, researchers compared deaths from breast cancer diagnosed in the 20 years before mammogram screening was introduced in Sweden with those diagnosed in the 20 years afterward. The X-rays were introduced in 1978 and offered to all women older than 40. During that time, 8,551 women developed breast cancer, and 2,143 of them died from it. The study found that, among women who received regular mammograms, the risk of dying from breast cancer was reduced by 44 percent compared with the early 1970s, when mammograms were not routinely done. Although it isn’t clear if the credit should go to mammograms or to better treatment: However, women who refused mammograms still had a 16 percent drop in the chance of dying from the disease. That means their improved survival must have been the result of factors other than mammography, such as better drugs. Unfortunately, only the abstract is available for free online, so it's impossible to comment on the methodology, but the Washington Post story seems to have asked some of the right questions. posted by Sydney on 4/28/2003 07:55:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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