Monthly Archives: May 2015

Mammography’s Shadows, III: The Campaign

Scientists at the National Cancer Institute recognized the limitations of the mammography screening trial conducted during 1963-1969 by the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP-GNY).  Those limits prevented the trial from supporting a widespread screening protocol for breast cancer among asymptomatic women of average risk. (See previous post, “Mammography’s Shadows, II:  Numbers and […]

May 26, 2015 – 4:57 pm | By Sylvia Kraemer | Posted in Healthcare, Science and Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Mammography’s Shadows, II: Numbers and the First Large X-ray Screening Trial

Quantities, measured and analyzed with numbers and statistics, are the foundation of our ability to communicate the attributes of much of the physical world.   Mathematical formulas and calculus enable us to predict what will happen when we manipulate matter in motion.  Notations measuring differing lengths of vibrating strings can create the exquisite harmonies of the […]

May 15, 2015 – 5:38 pm | By Sylvia Kraemer | Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Mammography’s Shadows, I: The Mammogram

If recent habits persist, this year roughly two-thirds of all women over 40, and even more women over 50, will appear in radiology departments around this country for their annual screening mammograms.  They will have been persuaded by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American College of Radiology (ACR), and most likely their own […]

May 7, 2015 – 3:30 pm | By Sylvia Kraemer | Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , , | Comments (0)