Mammography rate for high-risk women has fallen since 2009 update to USPSTF guidelines
Mammography screening for women with a history of breast cancer has declined since the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released its 2009 guidelines recommending that mammography examinations be deferred until a woman is at least 50 years old.
The declining rate, however, highlights a conflict with annual mammography surveillance guidelines for women between 40 and 49, as supported by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the American Society of Clinical Oncology, according to research published Aug. 22 in JAMA Surgery.
Researchers analyzed screening mammography among women ages 40 to 49 years of age in relation to the USPSTF 2009 guidelines. The team used data from 461,125 women in Michigan who were insured in a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Preferred Provider Organization from 2008 to 2013.
Eligible participants had at least two prior years of enrollment and no evidence of a bilateral mastectomy. Women were considered screened if they received one or more mammograms during the measurement year or one year prior, according to the researchers.
They found that in 2008-2009, 62.5 percent of women with no history of breast cancer had breast cancer screenings; 59.8 percent received screenings in 2012-2013. Additionally, women with a history of breast cancer who had breast cancer screenings dropped from 80.8 percent in 2008-2009 to 72.5 percent in 2012-2013.
“Controversy regarding age-based mammography recommendations for women at average risk of breast cancer may yield the unintended consequence of diminished confidence in this screening tool among the general population as well as among women who are at high risk of breast cancer,” wrote lead author Lisa Newman, MD, a breast cancer surgical oncologist at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, and colleagues.
A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.