Breast cancer ‘can regress naturally’
Some breast cancers would have regressed naturally if not treated with surgery and chemotherapy, scientists have claimed.
A recent study indicated that routine screening can pick up cancers which are not a threat to health – which can sometimes result in invasive and unnecessary treatment.
Published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the paper notes that levels of breast cancer have risen in every European country since screening has been introduced.
However, it is currently impossible to determine which cancers are potentially fatal and which would have regressed naturally.
The authors wrote: "If all of these newly-detected cancers were destined to progress and become clinically evident as women age, a fall in incidence among older women should soon follow."
Dr Alexis Willet from Breakthrough Breast Cancer said the theory was significant, but reiterated that it is not possible to predict how a cancer will progress if left untreated.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is a UK charity committed to the prevention of the disease.
The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with cancer
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