title: The relationship of breast cancer epidemiology to screening recommendations.
abstract: The epidemiology of breast cancer involves several factors that may be useful in deciding to recommend breast cancer screening. Paramount among these factors is age. A family history of breast cancer may be a basis for modifying screening recommendations, but this may be appropriate only for a subset of women with breast cancer in a relative. Although there are several known risk factors for breast cancer, no single factor accounts for a large proportion of disease, and many patients with breast cancer have none of the recognized risk factors. A decision to forgo screening based on the absence of any single factor other than age may not be justified by current epidemiologic knowledge.
authors.affiliation: Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mettlin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008722:Methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors