Women diagnosed with breast cancer who had regular screening mammograms every year were less likely to have late-stage cancer and had higher overall survival than those who received screening every other year or less often, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology . "Only about 65% of women over age 40 are screened for breast cancer, and only about half of those women are getting annual screening —in part because of conflicting guidelines about recommended screening intervals," said lead author Margarita Zuley, M.D.
, professor and chief of the Division of Breast Imaging in the Department of Radiology at Pitt and UPMC. "Our study shows that there is a significant benefit for annual screening over biennial screening, including in premenopausal women." While many clinical trials have demonstrated the benefits of mammography screening for breast cancer, guidelines differ on how often women should be screened.
The American College of Radiology and several other organizations advise annual screening after age 40, whereas the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends biennial screening from age 40.
Because the U.S. does not have a national breast cancer registry, Zuley and her team recently developed a large institutional database to better understand real-world outcomes for breast cancer patients.
To gain more evidence on optimal mammography screening intervals, the researchers used this database to co.