Outcome of pylorus‐preserving gastrectomy for early gastric cancer (Br J Surg 2008; 95: 1131–1135)

avoided. However, the total number of deaths in the screening group (10 591) was in fact very slightly larger than the total number of deaths in the control group (10 432). This type of phenomenon has been observed previously in breast screening trials. Surely, where mortality is an important end point, population screening tests should show a beneficial effect on this end point. A. P. Corder, M. Iqbal and S. Devaraj Department of General Surgery, The County Hospital, Stonebow Road, Hereford HR1 2ER, UK DOI: 10.1002/bjs.6425