Philippine Media black out on the 25 Year Canadian Study on Mammography

There seems to be a total media silence in the Philippines on significant studies on breast cancer published by two internationally reputable medical journals. Considering that our country has a breast cancer epidemic and loud pronouncements by the Department of Health, medical organizations and various hospital based breast cancer support groups, a search on mammography in the websites of major news networks showed disheartening results.

This validates the high degree of influence of the medical-pharmaceutical industry on local media which does not only misinform but even keeps the general public ignorant on the most dreaded disease of all women.

The Lancet published in 22 October 2011 an article entitled, “Breast and cervical cancer in 187 countries between 1980 and 2010: a systematic analysis.” According to the article, global breast cancer incidence increased from 641,000 cases in 1980 to 1,643,000 cases in 2010, at an annual rate of increase of 3.1% and killed 425,000 women in 2010, of whom 68,000 were aged 15-49 years in developing countries. In the Philippines, 1 in 13 women will get breast cancer in her lifetime with our country registering the highest increase worldwide of 589% in a 30 year period.

Twenty eight months later, the British Medical Journal published just last 11 February 2014 a research entitled, “Twenty five year follow-up for breast cancer incidence and mortality of the Canadian National Breast Screening Study: randomized screening trial.” The research involved 89,835 participants aged 40 -59 and concluded that annual mammography in women aged 40-59 does not reduce mortality from breast cancer 22% of screen detected invasive breast cancers were over-diagnosed, representing one over-diagnosed breast cancer for every 424 women who received mammography screening in the trial. 

Following are the most recent search results on mammography from 8 selected media (online, Television and print) where the country's leading newspaper's latest was even 4 years ago written by a doctor based in Cebu. Another doctor's article on his hospital's mammography was the latest item of a TV network. The country's leading television network was about a company's upgrade of its mammogram units while another newspaper showed in its business page the acquisition of hospital while another news daily was abut a hospital's modern mammography. Only an internet based news network mentioned the Canadian Study but only in reference to having both breasts removed as having better survival. The remaining two simply had items from Reuters on how important mammography is. Note the dates of each article.

Rappler 12 February 2014 : Women diagnosed with breast cancer caused by a notorious gene have a much better survival chance if they have both breasts removed instead of one, a study said. Another study in the same journal, meanwhile, cast doubt on the value of annual mammogram screening of women aged 40 to 59. It is the latest evidence in a long-running debate about the usefulness of a costly procedure that sometimes results in over-diagnosis – the discovery (and treatment) of cancers that would never have caused symptoms or death during a woman's lifetime. 

Manila Bulletin 31 December 2013 : Women should have a mammogram – an X-ray of the breast tissue scanning for early signs of cancer -every two years between ages 50 and 74, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. 

ABS-CBN News 16 December 2013 : Last year, Philips agreed a partnership with Abu Dhabi's new, 196-bed Burjeel Hospital to supply, install, maintain and upgrade medical equipment including MRI and CT scanners, digital mammography units and ultrasound machines.

Manila Standard Today 25 October 2013 : The latest acquisition increased Metro Pacific’s total hospital bed capacity to 2,137 beds. The hospital will construct a new four-story building, which would be completed by early 2015. The building will house the most advanced diagnostic imaging center in the province, with initially a 64-slice CT scan and digital x-ray machines, and eventually a 1.5 Tesla MRI and a digital mammography machine. 

TV5 InterAksyon News 02 October 2013 : Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH) offers the latest digital mammography services should your surgeon requests you to have one. With the digital mammography, images and results are readily available. Brightness, darkness, or contrast of photos can be adjusted and sections of an image can be magnified after the mammogram is completed, making it easier to see subtle differences between tissues. 

GMA News 19 March 2013 : In the latest installment in the mammogram debate, a new study finds that getting a mammogram every other year instead of annually did not increase the risk of advanced breast cancer in women aged 50 to 74, even in women who use hormone therapy or have dense breasts, factors that increase a woman's cancer risk. 

Philippine Star  12 May 2012 : Doctors encourage women to undergo annual mammography tests because the Philippine Cancer Society reports that breast cancer is now the leading cause of death among women.

Philippine Daily Inquirer 18 January 2010 : If the new guidelines are officially adopted, women who are younger than 50 opting to have a screening mammogram will not be covered by their health insurance.  They advocate the return to the former guidelines: annual screening starting at age 40, and starting at age 30 (or earlier) for higher risk women.

Correlating the 30 year incidence study and the 25 year research on mammography with media's indifference on the breast cancer epidemic in the Philippines, places a gigantic burden on the PBCN in its advocacy. Only by massive public awareness can this silence end. The PBCN continues to seek a staunch and fearless ally in the national government to seriously address this pressing situation.