The decline in death rates from breast cancer has little to do with checking the breasts and is due to better treatments and health systems, scientists said Friday in a study that will increase the debate about the merits of mammography.

The researchers analyzed data from three pairs of European countries and found that although screening programs for breast cancer have been introduced 10 to 15 years earlier in some areas than others, declining mortality rates were similar.

The findings suggest that "better treatments, and efficiency of health systems may be a more plausible explanation" for the decline in death rates from breast cancer, wrote in a study published in the British Medical Journal.

Figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) have shown that breast cancer deaths are decreasing in the United States, Australia, Europe and most of the Nordic countries and Western. However, breast exams are a hot topic among experts, who disagree on whether mammography programs of the countries do more harm than good.

The fear of some is that overdiagnosis may mean that many women are subjected to unnecessary radical treatment, suffering physical and psychological impact of a diagnosis of breast cancer.

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Tags : decline, death rates, breast cancer, breasts, treatments, health systems, scientists, study, increase, debate, mammography.
Category : Health

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