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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. Older women, that is women over 65 years of age, account for 48 per cent
of all newly diagnosed invasive breast cancers and 58 per cent of breast cancer deaths. Although there
have been many studies concerning the efficacy of mammography few, if any, have addressed the question
"Does it benefit women over 65 years?" Researchers at the Harvard Medical School have just released the
results of a study aimed at answering this question.
Their study involved almost 10,000 women aged 67 years or older who had been diagnosed with a first
primary breast cancer between 1987 and 1993. The researchers found that women who had never had a
mammogram were three times more likely to be diagnosed with advanced (stage II) breast cancer than were
women who had regular mammograms (at least two at least 10 months apart). Women who had never had
a mammogram were also three times (OR=3.38) more likely to die from breast cancer than were women
who had regular mammograms. The likelihood of being diagnosed with late stage (stage II or higher) breast
cancer, not surprisingly, increased with age with women over 85 who did not use mammograms having a
seven times greater risk than regular mammography users. The relative risk between non-users and regular
users in the 67 to 74 year age group was 2.46. The researchers noted that 38 per cent of all deaths in this
group of breast cancer patients was due to breast cancer. They conclude that regular use of mammography
will reduce the mortality and incidence of late stage breast cancer among women aged 67 years and
older.
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