News by Subject
List and find news items by the subject covered
Subject A-Z
To view a list of news subjects currently covered, please select a subject initial letter from the line below.
News items on 'Breast Cancer Screening'
Third of breast cancer 'harmless'
(BBC 10/07/2009)
One in three breast cancers detected by mammogram screening may actually be harmless, a study has suggested. Data from five countries, including the UK, suggest some women may have had unnecessary treatment for cancers that were unlikely to kill them or spread. As it is not possible to distinguish between lethal and harmless cancers, all are treated. But advocates of screening insist it is a vital tool for early detection of cancerous cells.
Trust to review 'cancer blunders'
(BBC 19/06/2009)
An independent review is to be carried out into cancer tests at a Bristol hospital trust after concerns were raised that patients were misdiagnosed. It is alleged one woman who was cleared went on to develop terminal breast cancer while others were wrongly told they had a fatal condition. Concerns were first raised by doctors at North Bristol NHS Trust in 2007. University Hospitals Bristol Trust, formerly the city's infirmary, has now confirmed it will review 3,500 cases.
Wealth 'boosts breast test rate'
(BBC 17/06/2009)
Wealthier women are the most likely to take up breast screening, but ethnicity not money affects the decision to have a cervical smear, a study finds. Office of National Statistics data shows home and car-owning British women are more than twice as likely to have had a mammogram than those who rent. But wealth does not appear to influence smears, Oxford researchers found. They write in the BMJ that white women are more than twice as likely to have had one than women from minorities.
Spotting secondary breast cancer early 'can halve the risk of death'
(Telegraph 17/03/2009)
Doctors should continue to monitor breast cancer patients closely and try to identify returning 'secondary' tumours before symptoms appear, researchers have warned. If detected early enough patients have a 27 to 47 per cent better chance of survival than women whose cancer is picked up later, according to the figures, published in the journal Annals of Oncology.
Breast tissue test consent fear
(BBC 11/03/2009)
Young women undergoing breast reduction surgery are being screened for cancer without their informed consent, believes a leading UK plastic surgeon. Mr Mohammed Keshtgar says women who want these operations should be made explicitly aware that their removed breast tissue will be checked. He questions the ethics of doing tests with no counselling or consensus on the merits of treatment if cancer is found.
Stats cruncher
(BBC 25/02/2009)
Women going for routine breast cancer screening are being misled about the risks of being misdiagnosed, a recent report suggested. But it's vital to get the numbers in context, says Michael Blastland in his regular column. Go for a scan and you might end up with surgery you don't need. It's been argued, with some merit, that NHS information leaflets state the benefits, but ignore the biggest risks.
Breast screening info 'misleads'
(BBC 19/02/2009)
Women undergoing routine breast screening in the UK are being misled about the risks involved, warn a group of UK experts. Invitation letters and leaflets do not tell the truth about the number of tests ending in unnecessary treatment, they write in The Times.
Read background >>
Read NHS analysis >>
Comment on this story >>
Warning over early breast cancer test
(The Scotsman 28/01/2009)
YOUNG women with a deadly breast cancer gene could be putting themselves at greater risk by undergoing early mammograms, a US study has found. It says the chance of radiation-induced breast cancer may outweigh the benefits of mammograms for women under 30 with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene.
'Mouth swab' test for cancer clue
(BBC 27/01/2009)
Scientists say they have devised a mouth swab test which could provide insight into your genetic risk of developing breast cancer. The £700 private test claims to combine genetic factors with lifestyle information to understand risk. But cancer charities warn genes may only account for a minority of cases.
Advert
Advert
Advert
| Top 10 Drug Information Leaflets | |
|---|---|
| Co-codamol | |
| Citalopram | |
| Prednisolone | |
| Omeprazole | |
| Metronidazole | |
| Diclofenac | |
| Ramipril | |
| Simvastatin | |
| Flucloxacillin | |
| Mebeverine hydrochloride | |