Why do health professionals differ over the need for annual mammography exams as a tool to detect breast cancer in women?


In studies of clinical breast exams, the combination of an exam with mammography had
the greatest sensitivity—but also the highest rate of false-positives. Screening mammography has been shown to reduce breast cancer mortality, particularly among women 50 to 74 years of age. According to recent research, women in this age range who underwent mammography screening every two years were diagnosed at the same stage of disease as those screened annually.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force initially recommended against routine biannual screening for women younger than 40, primarily because of the high rate of false-positives and the risks of overdiagnosis and overtreatment. The task force has since updated its recommendations to advise mammography on an individualized basis.

The primary downside or more frequent mammograms is a false-positive diagnosis—when breast cancer is first suspected but then ruled out with further testing—which can be extremely upsetting.

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