To mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Screening halves breast cancer mortality

Breast cancer screening is associated with an average 49% reduction in the risk of dying from the condition, according to the findings of a case-control study. Researchers in Melbourne, Australia, investigated the effects of taking part in the Western Australian population screening program, comparing 427 cases (women who died from breast cancer) with matched controls (up to 10 for each case). The odds ratio for taking part in the program, in relation to breast cancer mortality, was 0.48 (95% confidence interval 0.38-0.59; p < 0.001), and the researchers said they were unable to find any biases that affected the significance of this finding. An accompanying meta-analysis of similar published case-control studies produced an odds ratio of 0.51. Overall, said the researchers, the findings “suggest an average 49% reduction in breast cancer mortality for women who are screened”.1

http://vimeo.com/51243128