title: Screening and prevention of breast cancer in primary care.
abstract: Mammography remains the mainstay of breast cancer screening. There is little controversy that mammography reduces the risk of dying from breast cancer by about 23% among women between the ages of 50 and 69 years, although the harms associated with false-positive results and overdiagnosis limit the net benefit of mammography. Women in their 70s may have a small benefit from screening mammography, but overdiagnosis increases in this age group as do competing causes of death. While new data support a 16% reduction in breast cancer mortality for 40- to 49-year-old women after 10 years of screening, the net benefit is less compelling in part because of the lower incidence of breast cancer in this age group and because mammography is less sensitive and specific in women younger than 50 years. Digital mammography is more sensitive than film mammography in young women with similar specificity, but no improvements in breast cancer outcomes have been demonstrated. Magnetic resonance imaging may benefit the highest risk women. Randomized trials suggest that self-breast examination does more harm than good. Primary prevention with currently approved medications will have a negligible effect on breast cancer incidence. Public health efforts aimed at increasing mammography screening rates, promoting regular exercise in all women, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol intake, and limiting postmenopausal hormone therapy may help to continue the recent trend of lower breast cancer incidence and mortality among American women.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 1701 Divisadero Street, Suite 554, San Francisco, CA 94143-1732, USA. jeff.tice@ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Tice
authors.forename: Karla
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kerlikowske
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016504:Breast Self-Examination; D018890:Chemoprevention; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D005817:Genetic Counseling; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents