Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Growing Controversy About Mammograms

Aired February 01, 2002 - 10:50   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There was a growing controversy about mammograms and whether they truly save lives. New details this morning now, and we are paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta to fill us in here.

It's going back and forth. What do we know now?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It really is. It's been somewhat of a controversial issue now for several weeks, if not months. A lot of the controversy starting a couple of months ago when an article came out talking about the fact that while mammograms may detect cancers early, it was unclear whether that actually translated into saving lives, and that was obviously very disconcerted for many women out there, all women out there really who get mammograms regularly.

Some good news now for those women last night. 6:30, there was an article came out of "The Lancitt (ph)," a journal that really went back and re-evaluated a lot of data that we're talking about with regards to mammograms.

One of the trials -- I want to put up here, and then I'll show you. One of the trials that has been the most contentious is called the Malmo Mammographic trial. It's out of Europe. Look at the numbers. Deaths within the first five years for folks who were screened versus not screened. Deaths were actually higher in woman who were screened, 16 versus 13.

The researchers go on to point out that you really aren't going to see an early benefit from screening. Where you see the benefit, and most of the benefit, is later on down the road, Bill. You can see after eight years, the numbers dramatically change, 14 versus 31 lives, deaths in the group that is not screened. So what the whole point is, and a lot of the contention surrounding the articles are about the actual trial and being able to follow these women out far enough.

They went on, Bill, to actually look at how much of a survival that meant. For the women aged 45-54, your risk reduction of death is 30 percent; 55 and older, if you're a woman who gets screened, follows the guidelines, 55 percent reduction in death from breast cancer. So it's Very Hard to argue with those numbers, Bill.

HEMMER: Yes, and when we try and sort out still what women need to do right now, what's the National Cancer Institute saying? Are they adjusting guidelines at all?

GUPTA: They've been all over this. They've been keeping abreast of all the various recommendations, and they've stuck by the recommendations they have, and that basically the same thing as always, for women over 40 -- I'm sorry under 40, breast exam by doctor, 40 to 49 a breast exam and a mammogram every one to two years, 50 or older, mammogram every one to two years and also self breast exams and breast exams from your doctor.

Same recommendations haven't changed. Stand by those. Get your mammogram.

HEMMER: Good to know. Thanks, pal. Have a good weekend.

GUPTA: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com