Mammography

About: Mammography is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 20643 publications have been published within this topic receiving 513679 citations.

Epidemiology of ductal carcinoma in situ.

Abstract: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a relatively common diagnosis among women undergoing screening mammography. The greatest increases in DCIS incidence have been in non-comedo subtypes of DCIS that are not associated with subsequent invasive cancer. After a 500% increase in DCIS from 1983 to 2003, the incidence of DCIS declined in women aged 50 years and older, whereas the incidence in women younger than age 50 continues to increase. Having undergone mammography is one of the strongest and most prevalent risk factors associated with a diagnosis of DCIS. Other risk factors for DCIS are similar to that for invasive cancer including increasing age, family history of breast cancer, high mammographic breast density, and postmenopausal hormone therapy use. Treatment for DCIS is relatively aggressive with the use of both surgery and radiation therapy and most recently adjuvant hormonal therapy. Breast cancer mortality is low and similar with all types of treatment. New information regarding incidence of DCIS and subtypes of DCIS according to frequency of mammography and risk factors could lead to insights into the biology of DCIS.

Screening Mammography in Older Women: A Review

Abstract: Importance Guidelines recommend individualizing screening mammography decisions for women aged 75 years and older. However, little pragmatic guidance is available to help counsel patients. Objective To provide an evidence-based approach for individualizing decision-making about screening mammography in older women. Evidence Acquisition We searched PubMed for English-language studies in peer-reviewed journals published from January 1, 1990, to February 1, 2014, to identify risk factors for late-life breast cancer in women aged 65 years and older and to quantify the benefits and harms of screening mammography for women aged 75 years and older. Findings Age is the major risk factor for developing and dying from breast cancer. Breast cancer risk factors that reflect hormonal exposures in the distant past, such as age at first birth or age at menarche, are less predictive of late-life breast cancer than factors indicating recent hormonal exposures such as high bone mass or obesity. Randomized trials of the benefits of screening mammography did not include women older than 74 years. Thus it is not known if screening mammography benefits older women. Observational studies favor extending screening mammography to older women who have a life expectancy of more than 10 years. Modeling studies estimate 2 fewer breast cancer deaths/1000 women who in their 70s continue biennial screening for 10 years instead of stopping screening at age 69. Potential harms of continued screening over 10 years include false-positive mammograms in approximately 200/1000 women screened and overdiagnosis (ie, finding breast cancer that would not have clinically surfaced otherwise) in approximately 13/1000 women screened. Providing information about life expectancy along with potential benefits and harms of screening may help older women’s decision-making about screening mammography. Conclusions and Relevance For women with less than a 10-year life expectancy, recommendations to stop screening mammography should emphasize increased potential harms from screening and highlight health promotion measures likely to be beneficial over the short term. For women with a life expectancy of more than 10 years, deciding whether potential benefits of screening outweigh harms becomes a value judgment for patients, requiring a realistic understanding of screening outcomes.

Women’s perception of the benefits of mammography screening: population-based survey in four countries

Abstract: Misconceptions were widespread: a majority of women believed that screening prevents or reduces the risk of contracting breast cancer (68%), that screening at least halves breast cancer mortality (62%), and that 10 years of regular screening will prevent 10 or more breast cancer deaths per 1000 women (75%). In multivariate analysis higher number of correct answers was positively associated with higher educational status (odds ratio [OR] = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.25, 1.66) and negatively with having had a mammography in the last 2 years (OR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.73, 1.01). Compared with US women (reference group) and Swiss women (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.82, 1.18) respondents in Italy (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.50, 0.74) and the UK (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.88) gave fewer correct answers. Conclusion In the US and three European countries a high proportion of women overestimated the benefits that can be expected from screening mammography. This finding raises doubts on informed consent procedures within breast cancer screening programmes.