Does mammography save lives?

John Hoey

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Oncological Terrain and Breast Cancer Primary Prevention
Sergio Stagnaro

Posted on: 30 July 2002
Meta-analysis of mammography
J.V. Frei

Posted on: 12 July 2002

Posted on: (30 July 2002)

Oncological Terrain and Breast Cancer Primary Prevention
Sergio Stagnaro, Specialist in Blood , Gastroenterological and Metabolic Diseases. Researcher in Biophysical Semeiot.
Sirs, I think that because congenital functional mitochondrial cytopathology is overlooked--a "conditio sine qua non" of the most frequent and dangerous human disorders, including malignancies--all current clinical research is fundamentally biased. In other words, it does not consider the existence or assess the seriousness as well as the location of Congenital Acidosic Enzyme-Metabolic Histangiopathy (1, 2), conditio s...
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Sirs, I think that because congenital functional mitochondrial cytopathology is overlooked--a "conditio sine qua non" of the most frequent and dangerous human disorders, including malignancies--all current clinical research is fundamentally biased. In other words, it does not consider the existence or assess the seriousness as well as the location of Congenital Acidosic Enzyme-Metabolic Histangiopathy (1, 2), conditio sine qua non of Oncological Terrain. In fact, both environmental risk factors and every drug, including oestrogens, suggested as a risk factor for breast cancer, "could" influence some human biological functions and/or bring about different disorders, such as cancers, exclusively in relation to both the presence and intensity of CAEMH in a well-defined biological system. I recently discussed("Oncological Terrain",See http://digilander.iol.it/semeioticabiofisica) this overlooked functional mitochondrial cytopathology. I have called it Congenital Acidosic Enzyme- Metabolic Histangiopathy in previous papers (1-4); it is the genetic factor of common human disorders (1, 2). For instance, despite the well- known negative influence of oral contraceptive use on breast oncogenesis (4) and/or arterial disorders we have to consider the importance of the genetic predisposition , as far as the onset of a lot of disorders is concerned, including solid as well as liquid malignancies. At this point, I would emphasise the well-known pathological powerful influence of smoking,e.g., on tissue oxygen supply to all biological systems (3, 4). This effect varies notoriously in prevalence and intensity among individuals in relation to a congenital mitochondrial cytopathology, i.e. Congenital Acidosic Enzyme-Metabolic Histangiopathy (2). This both "silent" and dangerous action is easy to evaluate at the bed-side with the aid of a stethoscope. I suggest first (i.e., before whatever research)to investigate the presence and intensity of CAEMH in the "tested" population, and soon thereafter assessing prevalence and intensity of the "Oncological Terrain", which always develops on the basis of the above- mentioned congenital cytopathology (1-4). In fact, without this alteration of psycho-neuro-endocrine-immunological system, oncogenesis is not possible. The importance of the above-mentioned congenital factor should not be overlooked, particularly when we assess a "possible" risk factor for cancer or for cancer screening.
Stagnaro Sergio MD, Member NYAS .
Specialist in Blood, Metabolic and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Riva Trigoso (Genoa), Italy. 1) Stagnaro S., Stagnaro-Neri M.Istangiopatia Congenita Acidosica Enzimo Metabolica. Gazz. Med. It.- Arch. Sci. Med. 144, 423, 1985.
2) Stagnaro S., Stagnaro-Neri M. Una patologia mitocondriale ignorata: la Istangiopatia Congenita Acidosica Enzimo-Metabolica. Gazz. Med. It. - Arch. Sci. Med. 149, 67 1990.
3)Stagnaro-Neri M., Stagnaro S. Deterministic Chaos, Preconditioning and Myocardial Oxygenation evaluated clinically with the aid of Biophysical Semeiotics in the Diagnosis of ischaemic Heart Disease even silent. Acta Med. Medit. 13, 109 1997. 4) Stagnaro-Neri M., Stagnaro S., Cancro della mammella: prevenzione primaria e diagnosi precoce con la percussione ascoltata. Gazz. Med. It. – Arch. Sc. Med. 152, 447 1993
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Competing Interests: None declared.
Posted on: (12 July 2002)

Meta-analysis of mammography
J.V. Frei, Emeritus Professor of Pathology
I am very bothered by your review of the meta-analysis of mammography screening by Miettinen, et al. (CMAJ v. 16, .p. 1187-1188). Using Fig. 1, you appear to argue that the last four points on it -years 6 and later from the beginning of the trial - which show decreased mortality, favour doing mammorgraphy, but you do not evaluate the earlier points 2 - 4, which show higher mortality of nearly the same degreee. Without kno...
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I am very bothered by your review of the meta-analysis of mammography screening by Miettinen, et al. (CMAJ v. 16, .p. 1187-1188). Using Fig. 1, you appear to argue that the last four points on it -years 6 and later from the beginning of the trial - which show decreased mortality, favour doing mammorgraphy, but you do not evaluate the earlier points 2 - 4, which show higher mortality of nearly the same degreee. Without knowing anything else about the study, that alone means to me that the scatter of the data is such that the study cannot be evaluated, as the title of the original article seems to say. Is the coffin of meta-analysis in particular and of screening for cancer in general beginning to close?
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Competing Interests: None declared.