Mammography Beneficial to Younger Women

According to the study, women between ages 40 and 49 who underwent routine screening mammography were diagnosed at earlier stages with smaller tumors than symptomatic women needing diagnostic workup.

The study, conducted by investigators from University Hospitals (UH; Cleveland, OH, USA) Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (Cleveland, OH, USA) and published in the May 2012 issue of American Journal of Roentgenology, follows the United States Preventive Services Task Force’s guidelines from November 2009 recommending against annual screening mammography for women between the ages of 40 and 49. In contrast, the American Cancer Society, American College of Radiology, and other medical societies recommend yearly exams beginning at age 40.

“Our findings clearly underscore the impact of neglecting to screen women with mammography for women in their 40s,” said the study’s senior author Donna Plecha, MD, director of breast imaging at UH Case Medical Center and assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “Foregoing mammography for women in this age group as recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force leads to diagnoses of later stage breast cancers. We continue to support screening mammography in women between the ages of 40 and 49 years.”

In the study, the investigators compared breast cancer stage at diagnosis in two groups of women between 40 and 49 years old: women undergoing screening mammography and women with a symptom requiring diagnostic workup. The researchers conducted a retrospective chart review of 108 primary breast cancers and discovered that patients undergoing screening mammography were diagnosed at earlier stages with smaller tumors. They also found that screening allows detection of high-risk lesions, which may prompt chemoprevention and lower subsequent breast cancer risk.

“Annual screening mammograms starting at the age of 40 saves lives,” concluded Dr. Plecha. “Breast cancers caught in the initial stages by mammography are more likely to be cured and are less likely to require chemotherapy or as extensive surgery.”

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Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine