Breast cancer screening

Breast cancer, as the second leading form of cancer death among women, causes significant morbidity and mortality. The primary care physician can help raise the survival rate of women with breast cancer by providing important screening procedures that will lead to early diagnosis and treatment. Screening mammography and regular breast physical examinations are the current screening procedures of choice. Although there is still considerable debate over the age and interval at which women should undergo screening (see Table 1 for recommendations from various organizations), the primary care physician's recommendation is the single most important factor and will certainly lead to a higher screening rate for women in the greater at-risk age groups. Judicious use of these screening procedures should allow primary care physicians to catch more breast cancers at an early, curable stage.