Screening mammography benefit controversies: sorting the evidence

Stephen A Feig

doi:10.1016/j.rcl.2014.02.009

Screening mammography benefit controversies: sorting the evidence

Radiol Clin North Am. 2014 May;52(3):455-80. doi: 10.1016/j.rcl.2014.02.009.

Author

Stephen A Feig¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California Irvine Medical Center, 101 City Drive South, Orange, CA 92869-3298, USA. Electronic address: sfeig@uci.edu.

PMID: 24792649
DOI: 10.1016/j.rcl.2014.02.009

Abstract

Numerous clinical studies have confirmed that screening women age 40 years and older reduces breast cancer mortality by 30% to 50%. Several factors including faster breast cancer growth rates and lower breast cancer incidence among younger women, as well as shorter life expectancy and more comorbid conditions among older women, should also be considered in screening guidelines. Annual screening beginning at age 40 years and continuing with no upper age limit, as long as a woman has a life expectancy of at least 5 years and no significant comorbid conditions, is currently recommended.

Keywords: Benefit; Controversies; Mammography; Screening.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Adult
Age Factors
Breast Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
Breast Neoplasms / epidemiology
Comorbidity
Early Detection of Cancer
Evidence-Based Medicine
Female
Humans
Incidence
Life Expectancy
Mammography*
Mass Screening
Risk Factors