A surprising new and controversial study claims that regular screening for breast cancer by mammogram may actually lead to more breast cancers being treated than may need to be. Treatment for breast cancer often involves a lumpectomy or mastectomy, radiation, or chemotherapy (or a combination of these).

The study, which involved 119,472 women who had three rounds of mammography sessions and a control group of 109,784 women who had a one-time screening at the end of the study, found that breast cancer incidence was higher in the group that had been screened more frequently, a not-unsurprising result. This led researchers to speculate that breast cancer found during regular screening may not persist to be detectable by mammography at the end of six years.

This seems to imply that not all breast cancers are the life-threatening variety, and watchful waiting may be appropriate in some circumstances. The study has led to speculation and fear that these results may make women more complacent about screening for breast cancer, a disease which every woman has a one-in-nine chance of contracting in their lifetime.

This is only one study, and it is likely that these results will be followed up with other, similar studies, especially given the nature of the results and their meaning. In the meantime, women should follow the guidelines for mammography as they are set, and should continue to perform breast self-exam, especially women who may be at higher risk due to a family history or other factors.

Related Links:

Video: Breast Cancer Screening # 2-Diagnostics from illumistream

Article: Some Breast Cancers Spontaneously Disappear from MSNBC

Screening and Testing from BreastCancer.org