Regular Mammograms Linked To Longer Survival In Women Over 80

For galore older women, nan mobility of whether to proceed bosom crab screening has been uncertain. While astir guidelines urge mammograms up to property 74, proposal for women 75 and older has been little clear. Now, a caller study from researchers astatine the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center suggests that regular mammograms whitethorn still connection important benefits for women successful their 80s.

The study, published successful nan Annals of Surgical Oncology, recovered that women successful their 80s who get regular mammograms are much apt to person bosom crab detected early, request little fierce curen and unrecorded longer.

When crab is recovered connected screening, it is often early stage. In postmenopausal women pinch nan astir communal hormone-sensitive bosom cancers, we tin often omit sentinel lymph node biopsy, chemotherapy, and sometimes moreover radiation. Screening is particularly important successful this era of de-escalation because early discovery allows america to safely trim nan strength of curen while still achieving fantabulous outcomes."

Dr. Nimmi Kapoor, subordinate professor of room astatine nan David Geffen School of Medicine astatine UCLA and elder writer of nan study

The number of older adults successful nan U.S. has grown quickly complete nan past decade, and property is simply a awesome consequence facet for bosom cancer. As a result, determining nan astir effective measurement to surface older women has go progressively important, nan researchers noted. Yet guidance is limited, leaving galore women and their doctors uncertain astir erstwhile to proceed aliases extremity regular mammograms. Screening successful older women besides raises concerns astir overdiagnosis, erstwhile cancers are detected that whitethorn ne'er origin problems, and nan associated costs. 

With constricted information connected nan benefits of mammography for women complete 80, nan researchers group retired to comparison outcomes betwixt those who continued regular screening and those who did not.

The squad analyzed aesculapian records of 174 women aged 80 and older who were diagnosed pinch bosom cancer astatine UCLA betwixt 2013 and 2020. Most cancers were estrogen receptor–positive and HER2-negative and were mostly shape 1 aliases 2. Patients were divided into 2 groups: Those who had a mammogram wrong 2 years earlier their test (98 women) and those who did not (76 women). They past compared outcomes -including crab shape astatine diagnosis, curen intensity, and wide survival- betwixt nan 2 groups.

They recovered that women who did not person regular mammograms were much apt to person tumors that were advanced, high-grade aliases noticeable by touch. Screened women were much apt to person room to region nan tumor, while unscreened women sometimes omitted room altogether.

After a median follow-up of 55 months, they recovered women who were screened had a 55% little consequence of their crab returning and a 74% little consequence of dying compared pinch women who were not screened. These advantages remained moreover aft accounting for age, tumor type, and whether they had surgery.

"We were amazed to spot specified a important endurance quality among these women successful their 80s," said Kapoor, who is besides an interrogator successful nan UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. "Our findings underscore nan value of encouraging breast crab screening successful aged patients, sloppy of age, unless they person much pressing wellness issues. Current guidelines are vague and often near to nan provider's discretion, truthful studies for illustration ours thief supply much-needed information for this underrepresented population."

While nan findings are encouraging, nan researchers noted immoderate limitations. The study looked backmost astatine aesculapian records and only included women who were yet diagnosed pinch bosom cancer, truthful it doesn't seizure imaginable downsides of screening, specified arsenic mendacious positives, other tests, aliases nan affectional and financial accent connected patients and their families. Larger studies are needed to corroborate nan benefits of mammograms for older women and to guideline clearer screening recommendations.

The study's first writer is Dr. Siu-Yuan Huang, a caller postgraduate from nan UCLA Health Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship. Other authors, each from UCLA, are Makaelah Murray, Angelique Rubio, Nneoma Okoro, Dr. Mina S. Sedrak, Dr. Susan A. McCloskey, Dr. Nicholas Jackson and Dr. Mediget Teshome.