Annual mammography did not reduce breast cancer mortality

Long term follow up of women (aged 40 to 59 years) showed no reduction in breast cancer mortality in those who had five annual mammograms.

During the entire study period, 3250 women in the mammography arm and 3133 in the control arm had a diagnosis of breast cancer, and 500 and 505, respectively, died of breast cancer. Thus the cumulative mortality from breast cancer was similar between women in the mammography arm and in the control arm (hazard ratio 0.99, 95% confidence interval 0.88 to 1.12).

[http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g366]