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In a 1992 study of Health Behaviors by the Centers for Disease Control,Virginia ranked 48th in the country for the percentage of women that had ever had a mammogram. The American Cancer Society recommends that women age 40 to 49 have a mammogram every year or two, and women age 50 and older have a mammogram every year. Numerous studies have shown a benefit for reducing the number of deaths from breast cancer for women age fifty and older. Mammograms Decrease Death RatesLong term data has recently become available from randomized control trials involving women in their forties. This longer term data when analyzed together (termed a meta-analysis) showed a 24% decrease in breast cancer deaths in the women who received screening mammograms. However, the benefit was not apparent until ten years after screening began. The benefit of screening mammography for older women becomes apparent much earlier. The delay in benefit for women in their forties may be secondary to the lower incidence of breast cancer in women in their forties, different cancer growth rates, or different tumor behaviors toward treatment. What about Age?Older women also need to continue obtaining mammograms, since breast cancer is most common in women in their seventies. Women age forty and older should be getting regular mammograms. There are no known ways to reduce your risk of developing breast cancer. But you can improve your odds by finding it when it is still small enough to cure. Is Race a Factor?African-American women also benefit from screening mammograms. Although breast cancer is more common in white women, African-American women are more likely to die of the disease. This is probably due to a smaller number of African-American women obtaining breast cancer screening. Ask Your DoctorMany women wait for their physician to recommend that they have a mammogram. However, most adults only see their physician for health problems and not for health maintenance. However, it may be difficult for physicians to remember to recommend a mammogram when a women is being seen only for problems. Many women are realizing that it is okay to ask your physician for a referral for a mammogram. Also, some mammography facilities do not require a physician referral. Discomfort & RadiationMany women are concerned about the discomfort and radiation dose of a mammogram. Compression is applied to the breast for a few seconds during a mammogram. Discomfort can be reduced by scheduling a mammogram for the week after menses, or discontinuing hormone replacement therapy for about five days before a mammogram. The radiation dose from a mammogram is equivalent to the amount of cosmic radiation from the sun obtained flying in an airplane from the East to the West coast.
By Diane Cole, MPH |
