UCSF News Office

Media Coverage

Spotlight

October 22, 2009

JAMA article on cancer screening generates national media coverage

Laura Esserman, MD, MBA

An October 21 opinion piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association by UCSF breast cancer surgeon Laura Esserman, MD, MBA, triggered a deluge of national and regional media coverage, including a front-page story in the New York Times. The JAMA article reported that, despite widespread screening for breast- and prostate-cancer, overall cancer rates have continued to rise, while the incidence of aggressive or later-stage disease has not dropped significantly. Esserman, who is director of the UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center, urged the medical community to focus on developing new tools to identify those at risk for the most aggressive cancers.

Coverage included the following stories, among others:



Print/Online

10/22/2009
New York Times – Page A26
Benefits and risks of cancer screening are not always clear, experts say

10/21/2009
New York Times – Front Page story
Cancer group has concerns on screening

10/21/2009
San Jose Mercury News – Front Page story
Cancer screens under review

10/22/2009
San Francisco Examiner
Researchers urge redo on breast cancer screening

10/23/2009
Medscape Medical News
“Rethink’’ of Cancer Screening Triggers Comments and Controversy

10/23/2009
MDConsult.com
Cancer screening critique causes media firestorm

10/21/2009
Newsweek
Sharon Begley - It May Not Save Your Life

10/22/2009
U.S. News & World Report
The Confusion Over DCIS: What to Do About ‘Stage Zero’ Breast Cancer?


Television

10/21/2009
NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Transcript: Cancer Society Warns Against Premature Screenings
Watch the video

10/22/2009
KPIX CBS Ch 5, San Francisco
Debate over benefits of cancer screening


Radio

10/22/2009
KQED Forum – Michael Krasny
Early Cancer Screening

10/21/2009
Patt Morrison, Southern California Public Radio (90.3 KPCV)
Laura Esserman – JAMA Study begins at 1hr:2mins:18seconds of mp3

10/20/2009
KGO AM 810 Newstalk Radio, San Francisco
Laura Esserman Interview