Breast Cancer Survivors Protected by Annual Mammograms
July 25, 2007 by Gloria Gamat
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Yearly mammograms for breast cancer survivors? Just thinking of the procedure make me cringe. Though I cannot imagine, women must dread going for mammograms.
However, yearly mammograms protect breast cancer survivors: according to a study in the July 20, 2007 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, older women who get yearly mammograms after treatment of early-stage breast cancer are less likely to die from breast cancer.
According to Rebecca Silliman, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine and public health at Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health:
“An important finding of this study is that not all older women who are breast cancer survivors are receiving annual mammograms.
These findings are consistent with other studies conducted in different places showing that older women with breast cancer often receive less care than do younger ones.
Our study demonstrates that receiving annual surveillance mammography after breast cancer diagnosis may have the opportunity to decrease death from breast cancer.”
Maybe younger breast cancer survivors will also benefit from annual mammograms. Do you really think yearly mammograms are necessary – or is this just being on the safer side? [Read this JCO editorial on the matter.]
Read the full report.
