But we know that the bottom line for many American women remains this: "Are you really telling me that it's better not to know as early as possible that I might have cancer? You must be kidding!" After all, we've all heard of someone whose life may have been saved by the early detection provided by a mammogram.
Exactly what is the evidence supporting annual mammography screening and breast self-examination for women over the age of 40? Napoli pointed out that the available evidence from large international studies didn’t support the belief that early detection of breast cancer actually resulted in lower mortality rates and that the high number of false positive tests resulted in unnecessary anxiety and treatment. At the time, there was even some evidence that premenopausal women who are diagnosed with breast cancer through mammography may actually die earlier than women who are not screened.