Physician Roundtable: Does Screening Mammography Lead to Overdiagnosis, Overtreatment?

Let the Individual Decide

Maurie Markman, M.D.

Senior Vice President of Clinical Affairs and

National Director of Medical Oncology

Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)

Philadelphia

Associate editor, The Oncology Report

I agree with the thoughtful comments of Dr. Loprinzi and Dr. Burris.

One additional comment relates to who should be making the decisions regarding whether screening is appropriate for a particular individual. And I would argue strongly that it is the individual, and not some government agency. Clearly, it is essential that such decisions be informed by any available current and future research/data, but the relative importance of the benefits and risks associated with this approach to cancer management can only be assigned by the individual.