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Original Summaries of Selected CANCERLIT Abstracts.
Mammography in Women Under 50
Last modified on:
Tuesday, April 20, 1999 10:52:30
Copyright © 1994-2008, Information Ventures, Inc.
Breast cancer screening in women below the age of 50, is currently
a contentious topic. Clinical studies have not been able to
confirm that routine screening is helpful, in part because of the
relatively smaller number of cases from this population group
compared to the numbers of older women in these studies, as well as
the technical limitations of mammography in denser breasts. Two
database records in the September CANCERLIT update address this
problem and support mammography in younger women, especially those
40-49 years old. In the first, from the Presbyterian Comprehensive
Cancer Center, Dallas, Texas (ICDB/95613274), 27,249 mammograms
(13,609 were for those aged below 50) from September 1992 through
August 1994, resulted in 234 patients being diagnosed with breast
cancer (0.75%). Seventy patients with cancer were under age 50
(30% of the total population), broken down into 55 cancers in women
age 40-49, 13 in age group 30-39, and two in those under 30. The
authors strongly advocated screening mammography in unselected
women under the age of 50, since otherwise 46% of breast cancers
potentially would be missed until they were clinically overt; many
then would have more advanced disease. A second study
(ICDB/9513410) from Baylor University Medical Center, also
supported screening mammography for women less than 50 years of
age. The data for 535 patients with breast carcinoma aged 40-49
years between 1986 and 1994, were reviewed. Tumors detected by
mammography were compared to those clinically detected according to
size, nodal status, and frequency of partial mastectomy, and
axillary dissection with radiation. Tumors that were detected
clinically were significantly larger and had more frequent nodal
involvement than those detected on mammograms. In these patients,
fewer were suitable for more limited partial mastectomies. The
authors concluded that mammography in women 40-49 yr detects tumors
at an earlier stage than in women presenting with palpable tumors,
and implies a more favorable prognosis for these patients.
October, 1995
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