DOES MAMMOGRAPHY SAVE LIVES?



Ok.  Not ANOTHER post beating up mammography.  Close, but not quite.  Another post pointing out just how weak mammography really is at saving lives.

You see, mammography is raised on a pedestal by stories of women who claimed their lives were saved by mammography.  Recent studies found that 57% of breast cancers are NOT detected by mammography.  But many of these women still had mammography done, but then the mammography is mistakenly credited with finding the cancer early.  Breast self exam is still a major route by which the process of cancer detection starts and should be done on a regular basis.

This particular study looked at the likelihood that mammography actually saved the life of a statistical 50 year old woman and found that, after some serious number crunching, that the likelihood that mammography saved this woman’s life is 13% on the generous side, 3% at the realistic side.  Not terribly dramatic.

James Bogash

For more than a decade, Dr. Bogash has stayed current with the medical literature as it relates to physiology, disease prevention and disease management. He uses his knowledge to educate patients, the community and cyberspace on the best way to avoid and / or manage chronic diseases using lifestyle and targeted supplementation.







Email:



Posted on
Category: Breast Cancer
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”