Article Abstract:
It is common in the UK for women who have discovered a breast lump to have to wait several weeks to be seen by a cancer surgeon and obtain the results of a biopsy. The main reason for this is that far too many women are referred to a surgeon who do not have cancer or are even at a very small risk of having the disease. Some observers believe that the situation could be improved by using specially trained nurses to undertake the initial examinations in clinics. However, breast surgeons disagree, believing that only they have the expertise to be confident about identifying cancerous lumps.
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Article Abstract:
There is still ongoing research into improving the effectiveness of the NHS breast screening programme. This is looking at issues such as whether screening should be offered to younger women and what is the most appropriate time gap between screening visits. Mammography has been shown to be an effective breast screening method in that it can detect various sorts of lesions in younger and older women. However, it is not so effective in detecting clinically significant cancers in younger women.
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Article Abstract:
Mixed views continue to be expressed about the UK government's screening programme to detect breast and cervical cancer. Some observers feel that the government is wrong to promote the view that there are benefits associated with screening.
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