Japanese journal of clinical oncology
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Jpn. J. Clin. Oncol. · Jul 2014
ReviewControversies in breast cancer screening for women aged 40-49 years.
Mammography is the only method of breast cancer screening that has established evidence of a mortality reduction. However, mammography does not achieve sufficient accuracy in the high-density breasts of patients<50 years of age. In 2009, the US Preventive Services Task Force revised its recommendation for breast cancer screening in women aged 40-49 years from Grade B to C because the net benefit was relatively small for this age bracket. ⋯ A high recall rate, an inefficient number needed to invite for screening to prevent one breast cancer death, a high false-positive rate and unnecessary additional imaging for women aged 40-49 years are great concerns of mammography screening. Overdiagnosis is also a detriment of mammography screening; however, it may have a limited effect on women aged 40-49 years. Establishment of new evidence for breast cancer screening, such as ultrasonography screening, is needed in order to create a more effective screening system.
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Jpn. J. Clin. Oncol. · Jul 2014
Comprehensive assessment of cancer patients' concerns and the association with quality of life.
Comprehensive assessment of perceived concerns can be used to guide supportive care appropriate to individual cancer patients. This study sought to determine the prevalence of cancer patients' concerns and the degree to which these concerns contribute to patients' quality of life. ⋯ Cancer patients' concerns were shown to be multidimensional and significantly associated with quality of life. Thus, assessment of patients' concerns should be multidimensional in nature, and a multidisciplinary care team should help patients improve their quality of life.