Renowned Consultant Breast Surgeon, Prof Kefah Mokbel, has today commented on research published recently in the British Medical Journal that suggests that mammographic screening is associated with an increase in mastectomy cases. Prof Mokbel questions the integrity of the research and disagrees with the doubt the study raises as to the benefits of breast screening.
The research, carried out in Norway, found that incidences of breast surgery increased by 70% from 1993–2008, although the increases varied greatly depending on the age of the women being screened. The authors concluded that over-diagnosis is likely to have caused an increase in mastectomy rates.
Prof Mokbel writes that this data is of limited meaning and use due to the absence of data on survival rates, patient satisfaction and use of radiotherapy, amongst others. He concludes that it is incomprehensible to “…generate adverse publicity for screening which may put lives at risk…”
