By Dr ME Costanza
How Harmful is Screening Mammography in 2016?
The recent release of the 2015 breast cancer screening guidelines of the United States Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF) [1] and subsequent articles [2-4] and press coverage have generally underlined the harmful effects of screening mammography while downplaying its positive effects. The major harms include
‘overdiagnosis’ of cancer and ‘overtreatment’ of nonthreatening disease, false-positive diagnoses and attendant unneeded medical interventions.
‘overdiagnosis’ of cancer and ‘overtreatment’ of nonthreatening disease, false-positive diagnoses and attendant unneeded medical interventions.