The findings of a study examining 39 years of breast cancer death rates have hit the headlines, with The Guardian reporting that, ‘Breast cancer screening not shown to reduce deaths.’ The value of breast cancer screening has been the subject of debate for many years.
While the overall reporting on the findings of the review was accurate, most of the headlines focused on the negative findings – the problem of overdiagnosis. The NHS shares its views on the findings of the independent panel that reviewed the benefits and harms of breast cancer screening in the UK.
In the article “Breast cancer screening may not reduce deaths“, the NHS responds to the following questions:
- Where did the story come from?
- What kind of research was this?
- What did the research involve?
- What were the basic results?
- How did the researchers interpret the results?
Analysis by Bazian, NHS Choices