Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer that affect women worldwide. In the U.S., the disease is the second cause of cancer related deaths among women and undergoing mammogram has long been considered as one of the best ways to reduce risks of breast cancer deaths.
Women were earlier recommended to undergo yearly mammogram by age 40 but this came under fire with findings that suggest women who have average risks for breast cancer can start getting screened when they reach 50-years old and that instead of yearly screening, they can undergo mammogram every other year.
A 25-year study by a group of researchers published in the British Medical Journal study in February also supported claims that yearly mammogram does not reduce a woman's risks of dying from breast cancer and that many of the abnormalities identified by mammogram screening are not actually fatal even if they are left alone.
To sort out conflicting information about the benefits mammogram screening, Nancy Keating and Lydia Pace, both of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, reviewed earlier studies dating back as early as the 1960's that analyzed the risks and advantages of mammogram. They found that while mammogram can indeed contribute to a 19 percent reduction in breast cancer mortality, the benefits of mammogram actually depend on several factors such as a woman's age and family history.
"The number of women whose lives are saved because of mammography varies by age. For every 10 000 women who get regular mammograms for the next 10 years, the number whose lives will be saved because of the mammogram by age group is approximately 5 of 10 000 women aged 40 to 49 years; 10 of 10 000 women aged 50 to 59 years, and 42 of 10 000 women aged 60 to 69 years," the researchers wrote adding that women with higher than average breast cancer risks may benefit more from getting mammogram screening than women with average risks.
The findings also suggest that about 19 percent of the breast cancers diagnosed when women get yearly mammograms for ten years are over-diagnosed which means that they would not have caused any problem even if they were left untreated.
The study "A Systematic Assessment of Benefits and Risks to Guide Breast Cancer Screening Decisions" was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association April 2.
