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UNC Lineberger member Russell Harris, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine in the UNC School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology in the UNC Gillings Global School of Public Health, was quoted in two articles in the New York Times about a major study of the efficacy of breast cancer screening published by BMJ (formerly British Medical Journal).

The BMJ paper outlines a 25-year randomized screening trial involving more than 90,000 women that found that annual mammography in women 40-59 did not reduce mortality when compared to usual care and physical examination.

In February, Dr. Harris published an article in JAMA Internal Medicine outlining a framework for evaluating when physicians and policy makers should recommend routine screening. He argued that many screening recommendations ignore the possible harms to patients from screening, and any screening decision needs to balance the potential benefits and harms to a patient.

New York Times – “For Women, A More Complicated Choice on MammogramsIcon indicating that a link will open an external site.

New York Times – “Study Adds New Doubts About Value of Mammograms”Icon indicating that a link will open an external site.