Preventive mammograms for knocker cancer might be less worthwhile for older cleaning woman , accord to research released this week . The study ’s author gauge that a material portion of malignant neoplastic disease cases get through sort in woman over 70 are overdiagnosed , that is , the spying of a tumor that is n’t likely to cause illness before death . In cleaning woman over 85 , more than one-half of these fount might be overdiagnosed .
The research was led by scientists at Yale University ’s Cancer Outcomes , Public Policy and Effectiveness Research , or COPPER , Center . The squad hoped to measure the danger of a particular known drawback from preventative breast malignant neoplastic disease masking in old womanhood — find cancers that might not need discussion . These cancers might either grow too slowly to ever become detectable or are found in people who would snuff it sooner from other causes .
To do this , they analyze data point from the National Cancer Institute ’s Surveillance , Epidemiology , and End outcome Medicare Registry .

A snapshot of a mammogram.Image: Okrasiuk (Shutterstock)
In totality , they studied just about 55,000 women over the geezerhood of 70 with no previous account of titty Crab who had recently undergo a mammography . Then they compared the outcomes of charwoman who continued to get screenings on a regular basis to women who had stopped getting screened , for up to 15 years . additional cases of genus Cancer find in the screening group versus the unscreened group were potential to represent overdiagnosis , the author theorized . It is potential that some of these spare vitrine were still good off for having gotten address , but the squad also analyzed the impact of screening on breast malignant neoplastic disease - related deaths .
By the end of the subject field period , about six in every 100 regularly screened women between the eld of 70 to 74 were diagnose with breast cancer , compare to about four in every 100 unscreened fair sex . This deviation amount to a potential 31 % overdiagnosis charge per unit , the authors estimated . In woman between the eld of 74 to 80 , the estimated charge per unit was 47 % . And in woman over 85 , the rate rise to 54 % . significantly , they also base no statistically significant reductions in the risk of report breast cancer death among women who continued to get screened . The team ’s determination werepublishedTuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine .
“ Overdiagnosis can come when cancers grow very slow or if a person ’s lifespan expectancy is short . Finding these breast Cancer the Crab can lead to worry and can result in intensive treatments , without improving distance or quality of sprightliness , ” said lead-in source Ilana Richman , an adjunct professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine , in astatementfrom the university . “ The findings from this study emphasise the need for a careful evaluation of the benefits and harms of screening older woman . ”

There has been a long debate over the optimum strategy for cancer masking , mammograms include . In May , the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force — an influential panel of experts who steer screening practices in the U.S.—issuednew draught recommendations that women at middling risk of breast cancer should get screen starting at 40 , rather than 50 . But the USPSTF decline to recommend mammograms for women over 74 , stating that the grounds for or against its exercise was still inconclusive . Other chemical group like the American Cancer Society haveendorsedregular mammograms for old woman , so long as they persist in unspoilt wellness and are expected to live for at least another 10 days .
While these findings do add up more exercising weight to the argument that mammogram are less worthful for old cleaning woman , the authors note that there are many other factors that people can and should weigh when deciding to get screened for cancer as they age .
“ A patient role ’s preferences and values , personal peril factors , and the overall balance of risks and benefits from screening are also important to take into account when making screening determination . ” Richman said .

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