Misinformation About Breast Cancer Screening and the Possible Unanticipated Importance of Detecting Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

Abstract

For decades there has been an unrelenting effort to limit access to breast cancer screening based on scientifically unsupportable arguments. As each argument has been raised against screening it has been refuted by science. These issues are summarized below. Within the larger debate have been legitimate concerns about the importance and treatment of a range of lesions classified as Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS). These are almost certainly precursor lesions to invasive breast cancer. What has been lost in the discussions is the fact that, in the U.S., the incidence of invasive breast cancer had been increasing steadily since 1940, at 1-1.3% per year. However, since the start of screening the incidence of invasive breast cancer is lower than the extrapolated expectation. It is likely that the removal of DCIS, due to mammographic screening, has resulted in fewer subsequent invasive cancers.