Breast cancer screening and better treatment both help to save significant numbers of lives

A Dutch study of the effectiveness of breast cancer screening shows that, even with improved treatments for the disease, population-based mammography programs still save a significant number of lives. The researchers found that adjuvant therapy (treatment given in addition to primary therapy such as surgery) reduced deaths by an estimated 13.9 percent in 2008 compared to no treatment; but they also found that screening every two years reduced deaths by an additional 15.7 percent.