The Breast Cancer Surveillance project disseminates its findings in many ways. See the following pages for examples:
Several important publications have come for the work done at the BCS. Here is a sampling of them:
Buist DS, Anderson ML, Reed SD, Aiello Bowles EJ, Fitzgibbons ED, Gandara JC, Seger D, Newton KM. Short-term hormone therapy suspension and mammography recall: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2009 Jun 2;150(11):752-65. Abstract.
Brief hormone therapy suspension was associated with small changes in breast density and did not affect recall rates. No evidence supports short-term hormone therapy suspension before mammography.
Aiello Bowles EJ, Miglioretti DL, Sickles EA, Abraham L, Carney PA, Yankaskas BC, Elmore JG. Accuracy of short-interval follow-up mammograms by patient and radiologist characteristics. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2008; 190(5):1200-1208. Abstract.
Initial short-interval follow-up mammography examinations had a lower sensitivity for detecting breast cancer within 12 months than other diagnostic mammograms (61% for short-interval follow-up vs 80% for diagnostic mammograms reported in the literature). However, sensitivity within the 6-month interval that is usually recommended for subsequent follow-up was 83%. Accuracy of short-interval follow-up mammograms was influenced by few patient and radiologist characteristics.
Chubak J, Bowles EJ, Terry MB, Trentham-Dietz A, Buist DS. Antidepressant medications and change in mammographic density in postmenopausal women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009 Feb;18(2):676-9. Epub 2009 Feb 3. Abstract.
The lack of association between antidepressant use and breast density is consistent with recent studies that do not suggest an association between antidepressant use and breast cancer risk.
Taplin SH, Rutter CM, Lehman CD. Testing the effect of computer-assisted detection on interpretive performance in screening mammography. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2006 Dec;187(6):1475-82. Abstract.
In this experiment, computer-assisted detection (CAD) increased interpretive specificity but did not affect sensitivity because visible noncalcified lesions that went unmarked by CAD were less likely to be assessed as abnormal by radiologists. Breast density did not affect CAD's performance.
Buist DS, Porter PL, Lehman C, Taplin SH, White E. Factors contributing to mammography failure in women aged 40-49 years. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2004 Oct 6;96(19):1432-40. Abstract.
Breast density largely explained decreased mammographic sensitivity at 12 months, whereas rapid tumor growth contributed to decreased mammographic sensitivity at 24 months. A 12-month versus a 24-month mammography screening interval may therefore reduce the adverse impact of faster growing tumors on mammographic sensitivity in younger women.
Taplin SH, Ichikawa L, Buist DS, Seger D, White E. Evaluating organized breast cancer screening implementation: the prevention of late-stage disease? Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2004 Feb;13(2):225-34. Abstract.
We concluded that enrollment in organized screening is associated with increased likelihood of mammography and reduced odds of late-stage breast cancer. Addressing the concerns of un-enrolled women and those without mammograms offers an opportunity for further late-stage disease reduction.
Rutter CM, Mandelson MT, Laya MB, Seger DJ, Taplin S. Changes in breast density associated with initiation, discontinuation, and continuing use of hormone replacement therapy. JAMA. 2001 Jan 10;285(2):171-6. Text.
These results indicate that breast density changes associated with HRT are dynamic, increasing with initiation, and decreasing with discontinuation.