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Yearly mammograms for 40 - 50 year olds? New research
If anyone is interested...
New research published today on http://www.medscape,com is that annual mammography screening is essential for women in their 40s - something I have believed for a long while since dx at 46 with a 2cm invasive tumour and 5.5cm high grade DCIS + lymph node involvement.
"Women in their 40s with no family history of breast cancer are just as likely to develop invasive breast cancer as women with a family history, according to research presented here at the Radiological Society of North America 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting.
The finding offers conclusive evidence that women 40 to 49 years of age should be screened yearly with mammography"
Of course, because we are left to find tumours ourselves they are often larger and more advanced (and therefore often more aggressive) than those picked up by screening which is likely to pick them up so much earlier.
Worth a read - very interesting - sadly can't see it being acted on here, even the over 50s programme is under scrutiny now ...
I'm afraid your link doesn't work
In the us they do annual mammos over 50 so I guess gangs why they are advocating it under 50.... If it was early screening from 40 here I think it would still be three yearly.
It's interesting debate as reattach was just published in Canada about a week ago saying that routine screening of women between 40 and 50 wasn't helpful and shouldn't be done....
http://www.cmaj.ca/content/183/17/1991
"Thus, screening about 2100 women aged 40–49 years once every 2–3 years for about 11 years would prevent a single death from breast cancer, but it would also result in about 690 women having a false-positive result on a mammogram, leading to unnecessary follow-up testing, and 75 women having an unnecessary biopsy of their breast."
And that's not even taking into account the emotional and psychological issues related to screening, testing and biopsy.
Interesting that two of the biggest countries and neighbours of each other come up with completely opposing findings within days of each other.
Hope you can post up a link so we can have a wee nosey.
Thanks moser
Lulu x
try this link:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_119174.html
And would a negative test result in a false sense of security? Would there be women in that age group who don't check themselves properly, or don't respond to new breast changes, because they had a negative mammogram recently?
Try this link - hope it works this time!
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/754454?src=nl_topic
You may have to sign up with medscape before you get to read their articles - its free and they send you emails relating to new research in your chosen area.
I take your point CM - who knows? My tumour was not detectable in my breast at all - I did not know I had it till I found the enlarged node in my armpit. A mammo would have picked it up long before - possibly before the DCIS turned aggressive.
If I'm honest about myself I would have been terrified if I had been sent for in my 40s - but it might have made such a differenc...
Yup, the link works, I've tested it!
I didn't know I had a tumour either - there was a fibroid that showed up on the ammo but the other test results and all of the biopsies were negative. If I hadn't elected to have the fibroid out I don't know, I might be dying or dead by now. It was hiding the tumour which the surgeon told me was growing rapidly. Unfortunately none of these diagnostic tests is foolproof.
Cheers moser I'll have a wee read.... Already have a meds scape account thanks xxx