Before 2009, mammograms were recommended for any woman in her 40s; then the United States Preventive Services Task Force came along and set the recommendation for women aged 50 to 74 yeas of age. This decision has always been controversial. And it will remain so: A failure analysis—a look from death to discover correlations at diagnosis—published in CANCER may have you scheduling a mammogram appointment today.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that among 609 confirmed breast cancer deaths, 29% were among women who had mammograms and 71% were among women who did not have the screening test. Now, see what they found when they looked at the ages of these women: 13% of the breast cancer victims were 70 years of age or older and 50% of the breast cancer deaths occurred in women who were under the age of 50. What’s more: the median age at diagnosis was 49!
“The fact that 71% of the women who died were women who were not participating in screening clearly supports the importance of early detection,” said co-author Daniel Kopans, MD, of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in a prepared statement.
No matter what your age, talk to your doctor about scheduling a mammogram. Your health shouldn’t be on a timetable.