Women are advised to get a mammogram every year after the age of 40. The screenings can help detect breast cancer - the most common cancer in women - that leads to more than 43,000 deaths every year in the U.S.
But what if there was a different, more personalized option?
Researchers say shifting from the practice of relying on a screening age and annual exam to comprehensive risk could help reduce the chance of women developing more advanced cancer.
An analysis of the health of 46,000 American women between the ages of 40 and 74 found that the altered approach worked just as well as current yearly screenings - although it did not reduce the number of biopsies overall.
Still, Dr. Laura Esserman, the director of the University of California at San Francisco’s Breast Care Center and a medical advisory panel member for Blue Cross Blue Shield, said the findings should “transform clinical guidelines for breast cancer screening and alter clinical practice.”
Read Full Article Here
