Breast cancer screening for under 50's of little benefit

It seems that it remains debatable whether screening women under 50 years old for breast cancer significantly reduces deaths from the disease.

In the latest study by British researchers it is suggested that annual mammograms beginning at the age of 40 will save only four lives for every 1,000 women screened.

Therefore say the researchers such a small benefit must be weighted against the increased radiation the women are exposed to, which could itself add to the breast cancer risk, and also create anxiety caused by false positive results.

Dr. Sue Moss of the Institute of Cancer Research in London says the trial did not find a significant reduction in breast cancer mortality in women offered annual screening between the ages of 40 and 48 years.

Those results are consistent with the findings of previous studies which compared the risks and benefits of screening women under 50 years old for breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer in women, and most commonly occurs in women over 50.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million people will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year worldwide.

The American Cancer Society estimates that about 213,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each year and 40,970 women will die.

In Britain women aged 50-70 years old are invited for annual screening while in some countries such as the U.S. annual screening begins at 40.

Dr. Moss and her team examined the impact of screening younger women for an average of 11 years; they randomly selected 160,900 British women to have annual mammograms from age 40 or from age 50.

The women were divided into two groups: the study group were offered annual mammography screenings beginning at age 40, while those in the control group were offered annual screenings beginning at age 50.

According to the researchers although the number of cancer deaths in the younger screening group dropped compared to deaths in those screened later, it was not statistically significant.

It appears that 23 percent of women who had regular mammograms from 40 had at least one false positive result, compared to an estimated 12 percent in the older group.

Professor John Toy, of the charity Cancer Research UK which funded the trial, said it showed no definitive evidence for women in their 40s to be included in screening programmes.

Professor John Toy says women of all ages, and particularly older women in whom breast cancer is more common should to see their doctor immediately if they notice any changes in their breasts.

The research is published in The Lancet.