The outlook for women with breast cancer has improved in recent years.Due to the combination of improved treatments and the benefits of mammographyscreening, breast cancer mortality has decreased steadily since1989. Yet breast cancer remains a major problem, second only to lungcancer as a leading cause of death from cancer for women. To date, nomeans to prevent breast cancer has been discovered and experience hasshown that treatments are most effective when a cancer is detected early,before it has spread to other tissues. These two facts suggest that the mosteffective way to continue reducing the death toll from breast cancer isimproved early detection and diagnosis.

Building on the 2001 report Mammography and Beyond, this new booknot only examines ways to improve implementation and use of new andcurrent breast cancer detection technologies but also evaluates the need todevelop tools that identify women who would benefit most from earlydetection screening. Saving Women''s Lives: Strategies for Improving BreastCancer Detection and Diagnosis encourages more research that integratesthe development, validation, and analysis of the types of technologies inclinical practice that promote improved risk identification techniques. Inthis way, methods and technologies that improve detection and diagnosiscan be more effectively developed and implemented.

In this report The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) present a one-day symposium that was held at the IOM to further disseminate the conclusions and recommendations of the joint IOM and National Research Council report, Saving Women''s Lives: Strategies for Improving Breast Cancer Detection and Diagnosis. The committee assembled for this event was asked to share insights and consider ways in which the objectives of the report could be achieved from the standpoint of what women need to know, the best models of screening programs, manpower, risk stratification, basic research, and payment. This symposium seeks to provide continuing food for thought and ideas for actions in support of breast cancer detection and diagnosis and saving women''s lives.

The outlook for women with breast cancer has improved in recent years.Due to the combination of improved treatments and the benefits of mammographyscreening, breast cancer mortality has decreased steadily since1989. Yet breast cancer remains a major problem, second only to lungcancer as a leading cause of death from cancer for women. To date, nomeans to prevent breast cancer has been discovered and experience hasshown that treatments are most effective when a cancer is detected early,before it has spread to other tissues. These two facts suggest that the mosteffective way to continue reducing the death toll from breast cancer isimproved early detection and diagnosis.

Building on the 2001 report Mammography and Beyond, this new booknot only examines ways to improve implementation and use of new andcurrent breast cancer detection technologies but also evaluates the need todevelop tools that identify women who would benefit most from earlydetection screening. Saving Women''s Lives: Strategies for Improving BreastCancer Detection and Diagnosis encourages more research that integratesthe development, validation, and analysis of the types of technologies inclinical practice that promote improved risk identification techniques. Inthis way, methods and technologies that improve detection and diagnosiscan be more effectively developed and implemented.

The outlook for women with breast cancer has improved in recent years.Due to the combination of improved treatments and the benefits of mammographyscreening, breast cancer mortality has decreased steadily since1989. Yet breast cancer remains a major problem, second only to lungcancer as a leading cause of death from cancer for women. To date, nomeans to prevent breast cancer has been discovered and experience hasshown that treatments are most effective when a cancer is detected early,before it has spread to other tissues. These two facts suggest that the mosteffective way to continue reducing the death toll from breast cancer isimproved early detection and diagnosis.

Building on the 2001 report Mammography and Beyond, this new booknot only examines ways to improve implementation and use of new andcurrent breast cancer detection technologies but also evaluates the need todevelop tools that identify women who would benefit most from earlydetection screening. Saving Women''s Lives: Strategies for Improving BreastCancer Detection and Diagnosis encourages more research that integratesthe development, validation, and analysis of the types of technologies inclinical practice that promote improved risk identification techniques. Inthis way, methods and technologies that improve detection and diagnosiscan be more effectively developed and implemented.

In this report The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) present a one-day symposium that was held at the IOM to further disseminate the conclusions and recommendations of the joint IOM and National Research Council report, Saving Women''s Lives: Strategies for Improving Breast Cancer Detection and Diagnosis. The committee assembled for this event was asked to share insights and consider ways in which the objectives of the report could be achieved from the standpoint of what women need to know, the best models of screening programs, manpower, risk stratification, basic research, and payment. This symposium seeks to provide continuing food for thought and ideas for actions in support of breast cancer detection and diagnosis and saving women''s lives.

The outlook for women with breast cancer has improved in recent years.Due to the combination of improved treatments and the benefits of mammographyscreening, breast cancer mortality has decreased steadily since1989. Yet breast cancer remains a major problem, second only to lungcancer as a leading cause of death from cancer for women. To date, nomeans to prevent breast cancer has been discovered and experience hasshown that treatments are most effective when a cancer is detected early,before it has spread to other tissues. These two facts suggest that the mosteffective way to continue reducing the death toll from breast cancer isimproved early detection and diagnosis.

Building on the 2001 report Mammography and Beyond, this new booknot only examines ways to improve implementation and use of new andcurrent breast cancer detection technologies but also evaluates the need todevelop tools that identify women who would benefit most from earlydetection screening. Saving Women''s Lives: Strategies for Improving BreastCancer Detection and Diagnosis encourages more research that integratesthe development, validation, and analysis of the types of technologies inclinical practice that promote improved risk identification techniques. Inthis way, methods and technologies that improve detection and diagnosiscan be more effectively developed and implemented.