What's new in the battle against breast cancer?

By Holly Atkinson, MD
Think mammograms may not be useful? Well, think again. A new US study of almost 7000 women showed that women who never received a mammogram are far more likely to die of breast cancer compared with women who get the screening test on an ongoing basis.

Almost 75 percent of the women who died of breast cancer in the study had either never had a mammogram or were diagnosed upon having their very first one. In contrast, only 25 percent of women who had received more than one mammogram died of breast cancer over the 12 years the researchers tracked the women in the study.

The bottom line? This simple x-ray test, which can spot tumors while still very small and treatable, is the best way to avoid death from breast cancer. So, be sure to get your mammograms!  VIEW VIDEO