Breast Screening in London
Routine breast screeningA way to identify people who may have a certain condition, among a group of people who may or may not seem to is fairly well established in many countries, but there has been recent controversy regarding its benefits. All types of medical screening have their drawbacks including missed diagnoses, further investigations that turn out to be unnecessary, anxiety caused by recalls, and treatment for conditions that would have never caused any problems if they had been left alone.
For breast cancerAbnormal, uncontrolled cell division resulting in a malignant tumour that may invade surrounding tissues or spread to distant parts of the body. the only type of screening that has proven to be effective is regular routine mammographyA diagnostic and screening test using low-dose X-rays to detect breast tumours according to leading London breast cancer expert Mr Nicolas Beechey-Newman Consultant Surgeon and Clinical Director, The Lister Hospital. A mammogramAn imaging study of the breasts, for example, by X-ray. is a breast X-rayA type of electromagnetic radiation used to produce images of the body. so an additional problem with this type of screening is the exposure to radiationEnergy in the form of waves or particles, including radio waves, X-rays and gamma rays.. However breast cancer is a major health problem and an effective form of screening is very desirable. It is the commonest type of cancer that affects women, with 1 in 9 females in the UK being diagnosed with the problem during their lifetime.
Screening for breast cancer should be particularly effective because it is one of those cancers where catching it at an early stage makes a huge difference to the chance of cure. There are a number of reasons why the survival rates from breast cancer have improved steadily over the last thirty years, but it is thought that the most important factor has been early diagnosisThe process of determining which condition a patient may have..
Nicolas Beechey-Newman has written about Breast Screening - his article answers common questions such as:
- What is mammography?
- Does screening work?
- What are the benefits of surgery?
- What is the ideal age to screen?
