BACKGROUND: Screening mammography can detect early breast cancers and reduce subsequent cancer mortality. However, there is a lack of consensus as to when to discontinue screening. The absence of clear-cut guidelines on when not to screen means that many patients with advanced malignancies continue screening despite unclear benefit. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of female patients diagnosed with a non-breast malignancy to explore the incidence and effects of screening mammography. Female patients diagnosed with a non-breast malignancy stage II or higher between 2007 and 2012 were identified through the Vermont Cancer Registry and cross-referenced with mammography screening logs from January 1, 2007 to September 30, 2014. Additional data were collected through chart review, in May 2016. RESULTS: Twenty-six percent of women (398/1501) with a stage II or greater cancer (other than breast) diagnosed between 2007 and 2012 had a screening mammogram within the first 5 years of their diagnosis. Of these 398 women, 193 (48.5%) were alive without cancer, 132 (33.2%) had died, and 73 (18.3%) were alive with cancer at the time of chart review. Of those who died, 84 (63.6%) had a stage III or IV cancer. Eighteen (4.5%) had a breast biopsy following a screening mammogram suspicious for cancer, resulting in 13 (3.3%) benign diagnoses and 5 (1.3%) breast cancer diagnoses. No patient died of breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Except for highly curable cancers, female patients diagnosed with an advanced non-breast malignancy experienced mortality that outweighs a breast cancer mortality benefit from screening mammography as estimated from prior studies.
BACKGROUND: Screening mammography can detect early breast cancers and reduce subsequent cancer mortality. However, there is a lack of consensus as to when to discontinue screening. The absence of clear-cut guidelines on when not to screen means that many patients with advanced malignancies continue screening despite unclear benefit. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of female patients diagnosed with a non-breast malignancy to explore the incidence and effects of screening mammography. Female patients diagnosed with a non-breast malignancy stage II or higher between 2007 and 2012 were identified through the Vermont Cancer Registry and cross-referenced with mammography screening logs from January 1, 2007 to September 30, 2014. Additional data were collected through chart review, in May 2016. RESULTS: Twenty-six percent of women (398/1501) with a stage II or greater cancer (other than breast) diagnosed between 2007 and 2012 had a screening mammogram within the first 5 years of their diagnosis. Of these 398 women, 193 (48.5%) were alive without cancer, 132 (33.2%) had died, and 73 (18.3%) were alive with cancer at the time of chart review. Of those who died, 84 (63.6%) had a stage III or IV cancer. Eighteen (4.5%) had a breast biopsy following a screening mammogram suspicious for cancer, resulting in 13 (3.3%) benign diagnoses and 5 (1.3%) breast cancer diagnoses. No patient died of breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Except for highly curable cancers, female patients diagnosed with an advanced non-breast malignancy experienced mortality that outweighs a breast cancer mortality benefit from screening mammography as estimated from prior studies.
Authors: Iris Lansdorp-Vogelaar; Roman Gulati; Angela B Mariotto; Clyde B Schechter; Tiago M de Carvalho; Amy B Knudsen; Nicolien T van Ravesteyn; Eveline A M Heijnsdijk; Chester Pabiniak; Marjolein van Ballegooijen; Carolyn M Rutter; Karen M Kuntz; Eric J Feuer; Ruth Etzioni; Harry J de Koning; Ann G Zauber; Jeanne S Mandelblatt Journal: Ann Intern Med Date: 2014-07-15 Impact factor: 25.391
Authors: Helena M Verkooijen; Gérald M Fioretta; Elisabetta Rapiti; Hervé Bonnefoi; Georges Vlastos; John Kurtz; Peter Schaefer; André-Pascal Sappino; Hyma Schubert; Christine Bouchardy Journal: Ann Surg Date: 2005-08 Impact factor: 12.969
Authors: Evan R Myers; Patricia Moorman; Jennifer M Gierisch; Laura J Havrilesky; Lars J Grimm; Sujata Ghate; Brittany Davidson; Ranee Chatterjee Mongtomery; Matthew J Crowley; Douglas C McCrory; Amy Kendrick; Gillian D Sanders Journal: JAMA Date: 2015-10-20 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: Kurian Joseph; Sebastian Vrouwe; Anmmd Kamruzzaman; Ali Balbaid; David Fenton; Richard Berendt; Edward Yu; Patricia Tai Journal: World J Surg Oncol Date: 2012-06-26 Impact factor: 2.754