A detailed study of women in a two-county area in Sweden has shown that it is more important to offer extensive mammogram screening rather than adjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal therapy to reduce breast cancer mortality. Research headed by László Tabár, M.D., professor of radiology at the University of Uppsala School of Medicine in Sweden, revealed that a dramatic 60 percent reduction in breast cancer mortality occurs in patients who actually receive mammographic screening compared with those who are not screened.

The important message in Dr. Tabar’s studies is that mortality from invasive breast cancer is reduced by detecting these cancers when they are “babies,” being in their infancy.  Three problems exist however: 1. breast cancers begin as non-palpable (better prognosis) when smaller; 2. smaller tumors have fewer metastases (better prognosis); 3 breast cancers may appear between the time of last mammogram and current mammogram (interval cancer) and these cancers usually behave more aggressively.

The most effective way to achieve the goal of small, non-palpable breast cancer detection is yearly mammography.  This yearly mammographic approach will also find many “interval cancers” earlier and shorten their growth span.

Yearly mammographic screening is the answer. It is how Dr. Tabar’s studies achieved a 60% mortality reduction in breast cancer patients.