Reply on Tumour Size and Overdiagnosis in Breast Cancer
Author Information
Author(s): L Bucchi, A Barchielli, A Ravaioli, M Federico, V De Lisi, S Ferretti, E Paci, M Vettorazzi, S Patriarca, A Frigerio, E Buiatti, SCREENREG Working Group
Primary Institution: Romagna Cancer Registry, Forlì, Italy
Hypothesis
The relative protection of screen-detected tumours from the risk of nodal involvement decreases with increasing size.
Conclusion
The findings suggest that the biological aggressiveness of most breast cancers increases as they develop in size.
Supporting Evidence
- The relative risk of nodal involvement for screen-detected tumours increased with size.
- Only a small subset of screen-detected cancers have a relatively stable biological indolence.
- The findings await confirmation as they are unique in the literature.
Takeaway
This study looks at how the size of breast tumours found during screening affects their risk of spreading, showing that bigger tumours are often more aggressive.
Methodology
A multiple regression model was built to analyze the interaction between detection mode and tumour size.
Potential Biases
Potential biases related to the interpretation of overdiagnosis and length time bias were discussed.
Limitations
The study does not address all methodological concerns raised by critics.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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