Are Mammograms After 75 Worth It?

Uncertainty is building regarding the value of mammograms for breast cancer screening after 75 years of age according to a study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The harms of overdiagnosis may outweigh the human and economic benefits of the relatively small number of breast cancer deaths of those older than 75. While biennial mammograms of those up to 80 were cost-effective, there were two times the number of overdiagnosis cases than breast cancer deaths prevented.

The authors Schousboe et al. state, “Women considering screening beyond age 75 years should weigh the potential harms of overdiagnosis versus the potential benefit of averting death from breast cancer.”

Read the article here.

(Source: Annals of Internal Medicine, November 23^rd, 2021)