March 4, 2014 — Physicians’ Education Resource (PER) announced that “The Great Mammography Debate” has been added to the 31st annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference agenda, in light of a controversial study that suggests mammograms do not reduce the number of women who die from breast cancer. Registration is open for the conference, which will be hosted at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, March 6-9.
The Canadian National Breast Screening Study, released Feb. 11, has come under widespread fire for claiming “annual mammography in women aged 40 to 59 does not reduce mortality from breast cancer beyond that of physical examination or usual care when adjuvant therapy for breast cancer is freely available.”
Patrick Borgen, M.D., chairman of the Miami Breast Cancer Conference and chairman of surgery at Maimonides Medical Center in New York, is calling into question the validity of the research and has now added the debate to the conference’s agenda.
“This information has women across America scratching their heads,” said Borgen. “What we know is that this study is outrageous and probably the single most flawed trial in the history of mammography trials.”
Given the controversy of the study’s findings, physicians everywhere are facing new concerns from patients who are questioning the need for mammograms. As such, Borgen and other members of the Miami Breast Cancer Conference’s faculty aim to tackle that issue.
“I believe this report may give some women a reason to not get a mammogram, so physicians are going to face questions,” said Borgen. “At the Miami Breast Cancer Conference, we are going to discuss how to explain to patients why mammograms are still important, among many other topics.”
The two main themes at this year’s Miami Breast Cancer Conference are (1) personalizing care — matching the treatment to the patient, and (2) quality of life both for the patient and the doctor.
For more information: www.gotoper.com
July 29, 2024 
