Mammography in under 40s shows no benefit

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Mammography does not seem to result in fewer breast cancer deaths when carried out in women under 50.
In the UK, women over 50 are invited for mammography as part of the national breast cancer screening program every three years. There has been some debate over whether women in their forties could also benefit from mammography. To answer this question, researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research carried out a trial on 160,000 women aged 40 or 41 at the start. Of the group, one third received annual mammography invitations while the others received usual care.

So far, the study has shown no reduction in breast cancer deaths following an earlier start to regular mammography. However, additional years of follow up may reveal a benefit so this is an issue where advice to women may change in the future. Further, many women dropped out of the study because they moved away, and the researchers think that the potential benefit of screening this age group may have been underestimated. For now, women over 50 should definitely attend for their regular mammography check and women of all ages need to be aware of any changes in their breasts which require further investigation.

Source
The Lancet 8th December 2006

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