Dear AuntMinnie Member,
One of mammography's biggest skeptics is back with a new study that pooh-poohs the role of screening in reducing deaths from breast cancer.
Dr. Gilbert Welch is the lead author on a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine that tracked tumor size over a period of more than three decades and correlated it to breast cancer death rates. The researchers claim that their findings indicate that better treatment -- not finding cancers earlier with breast screening -- is the reason that death rates from breast cancer have fallen in the years since organized screening began.
That doesn't sit well with Dr. Daniel Kopans. The noted breast radiologist from Massachusetts General Hospital takes issue with a number of Dr. Welch's findings, and he points out similarities between the new paper and a study co-authored in 2012 by Dr. Welch that claimed that mammography was leading to "massive overdiagnosis" of breast cancer. Read Dr. Kopans' response by clicking here, or visit our Women's Imaging Community at women.auntminnie.com.
While breast experts duel over the study's implications, the research is already garnering major play in the mainstream media as yet another example of the alleged "failings" of mammography. Breast screening's defenders once again have their hands full defending mammography, an ironic twist for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Recognizing radiologist burnout
Are you feeling burned out? How can you differentiate burnout from job-related stress? Dr. Stacey Funt offers some tips for recognizing and dealing with burnout in her latest Healthy Radiologist column.
Burnout has become increasingly common among radiologists -- in fact, radiology is among the top five medical specialties for physicians reporting burnout. The condition can be chronic and debilitating, and it can even destroy relationships and lead to self-destructive behavior.
Dr. Funt offers several tools for recognizing burnout and tips for how to counteract it. Find out what they are by clicking here, or visit our Imaging Leaders Community at leaders.auntminnie.com.
New #MyRadGirlfriend
If it's Thursday, it must be time for a new installment of #MyRadGirlfriend. This week, we feature a bonus video from the cartoon's creator, Ryan McBeth, who talks about the origin story behind the cartoon and also answers some of the many questions he's been receiving from AuntMinnie.com members. Check it out by clicking here.
