Summary
Controversial new evidence suggests that mammography screening for women in high-income nations may have diminishing value in light of effective modern treatment options. But for women in lower-income nations, mammography screening is not enough of a priority, treatment is poor and women face greater risk. On March 8, 2011, International Women’s Day, expert participants met at The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health to address the question, “Mammograms: Who in the world are they good for?”
Part of: The Andelot Series on Current Science Controversies.
Background Articles
- Breast Cancer in the Developing World: Meeting the Unforeseen Challenge to Women, Health and Equity (2009 symposium background materials)
This international conference brought together delegates from around the world for the purpose of developing an action and research agenda to meet the challenge of breast cancer in developing countries. - Using Mammography to Screen Women for Breast Cancer May Be Less Effective in Reducing Death Rates than Previously Estimated
A New England Journal of Medicine study led by Harvard School of Public Health researchers found that a breast cancer-screening program in Norway resulted in a 10% decrease in breast cancer deaths in that age group. - Mammogram Benefit Seen for Women in Their 40s
A study published online in Cancer suggested that mammograms can decrease the breast cancer death rate by more than 25 percent for women in their 40s, but the study was met by some skepticism, reported The New York Times. - Expansion of cancer care and control in countries of low and middle income: a call to action
Cancer is not just a “disease of the rich” but is an often overlooked cause of death and disability in developing countries. - Breast cancer in Mexico: a pressing priority
Lead author and The Forum expert participant Felicia Knaul reports in this paper that since 2006 breast cancer accounts for more deaths than cervical cancer in Mexico. - Latin America
More education, information, and investment in early detection are needed in Latin America to fight breast cancer. - Breast cancer: a challenge for society and health systems
Salud Pública de México; in Spanish
Image Credit: Vesna Njagulj Dreamstime.com
