Do more frequent mammograms pick up some breast cancer tumors that might have gone away without treatment? Possibly, according to a controversial study published this week in Archives of Internal Medicine. However, experts caution that the research raises an interesting question, but can’t definitively answer it.
In the study, a research team led by Per-Henrik Zahl, MD, of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, looked at two groups of women from before and after Norway stepped up its mammogram screening program in 1996.
One group of 119,000 women ages 50 to 64 had mammograms every two years, for a total of three mammograms between 1996 and 2001. The researchers compared them to a second group of nearly 110,000 women who were ages 50 to 64 in 1992 but didn’t have routine mammograms. Those women had a single mammogram in 1997.
Not surprisingly, the women who had more mammograms had more cases of invasive breast cancer—if you look for cancer, you tend to find it. However, at the end of the six-year period, cases of invasive breast cancer were still 22% higher among regularly screened women, although the researchers expected the same number of cases in both groups.
They suggest that some of the tumors detected by mammography would have spontaneously regressed had they not been caught and treated.
It’s a controversial idea, but one worth considering, says Robert M. Kaplan, PhD, the chairman at UCLA’s Department of Health Services, who cowrote an editorial accompanying the study. “Our tendency was to dismiss it when we first read it, but the more we looked at it, the more we thought that maybe there is something to this.”
Next: In rare cases, breast cancers have been known to regress
Comments (14)
Great, now Health Insurance will stop covering breast cancer.
This is what I have instinctively felt for years. I am suspicious of the many discoveries of breast cancer, and resulting treatments that may not be necessary.
I hope you were being sarcastic *Eric* because women always tend to have more medical things to cover. I doubt they will quit covering breast cancer.
Anyway – back to the article I am not surprised that it goes away, there’s different effects by different cancers for different people. According to studies they realized that, cancer doesn’t necessarily affect your body the same as someone else with the same type.
I, for many years, have wondered if this might not be the case with all or many cancers.
I no I have breast Cancsr I am 38 All the members Of my Family have had what ever cancer you can imange. My breast tell me somethings wrong I have no insurance. And I am am scared to no the truth. I fell it,s god that wants me to go threw this. I don,t no what to do. I do no everone in my family that has had cancer has died because they let the doctoors take over before the age of 50 except my grandma that died at age 70 and was ate up with it threw out her body, she never let the doctors touch her. her three daughters died before 50 because they did I believe that. what do i do?
I have had breast cancer, and have been around lots of people with cancer. Some have amazing stories.
I have cyst on my left overy and breast. Will they regress on their own or should I have them treated? Thank you
I HAD BREAST CANSER TWICE.WAS TOLD THAT I HAD 3MONTHS TO LIVE. THAT WAS 35 YEARS AGO. COUNTY HOSPITAL WILL TAKE YOUR CASE.WITHOUT PAYMENT. THE SURVIVAL RATE NOW IS MUCH HIGER THAN WHEN YOUR MOTHER HAD IT I AM WORRIED ABOUT YOU AND I MORE TO SAY THAT CAN HELP YOU . MY EMAIL IS SKRAUTHAMER@yahoo.com.WRITE ME NOW. MY PROFESSORSHIP IS IN PSYCH AND I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THIS WITH FURTHER.
LISA —–THE ABOVE LETTER IS FOR YOU
I seriously doubt that Shirly is a professor of any type since almost every other word in her entry was misspelled.. Please don’t take a serious matter like cancer and give someone advice when you’re not even capable of spelling. thats sad!
I would definitely caution anyone against trying this (leaving the cancer untreated in the hopes it will go away).
My dear aunt found a lump in her breast 3 years ago when she was 50…anyhow for reasons unbeknownst to the rest of us she decided to leave it untreated, hoping it would go away, and shunning conventional medicine and surgery- she truly believed God would give her a miracle. The rest of us sat back in disbelief, shock and anger as her tumor continued to grow- eventually it was evident for all to see- like a watermelon under her shirt. She never even had it staged. It could have been benign for all we know but it grew so large it broke blood vessels.
Anyhow, she died one week ago today. It just all seemed so unnecessary which is what makes her death difficult to bear.
Please, if you find a lump, seek treatment.
As a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed at age 38 with no family history this “research” has infuriated me. If you find a lump get it checked. There is always the possibility that it could regress on it’s own but are you willing to risk your very life to find out if yours is that one? Please….see your doctor ladies. My blog has lots of breast cancer research on it if you want some other information. http://aftercancernowwhat.blogspot.com
Think about it…breast cancer used to be fatal much more than now. There are many women now alive years after breast cancer diagnosis because we now have the means to detect it earlier and more advanced treatment. If I had a tumor, I certainly wouldn’t risk my life HOPING it would regress. I would get treatment; the sooner the better. When I studied Statistics, one thing I learned is that statistics can be misleading, because sometimes only part of the equation is presented. The quoted information does not impress me. A LOT more information needs to be added before there is any reason to believe this. Do not risk your life based on incomplete research!
Dianosed with breast cancer this summer. Choose no treatment. Alredy coping with pain 24/7 with back and leg issues. Mobility down to 25% and a Senior person. Choose not to live my remaining days in more recouperation. God Bless