You’re Never Too Old for a Mammogram

Approximately 17% of all breast cancers occur in women over 80. But only 1/5 of women in this age group get mammograms. And a new study by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, conducted with 12,358 women over 80, has shown that mammography significantly reduced the risk of being diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer in women in this age group.

The ACS doesn’t put a cap on mammography; but I can venture to guess that older women either say, ‘the heck with it,’ or are dealing with other health issues that lessen the importance of mammograms in their book. So yeah, mammograms would help them get diagnosed, but what if? What if they do have breast cancer … what does that mean for their quality of life at that age?

The studies senior author, Associate Professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology Gildy Babiera stressed that:

Physicians should review each woman’s situation personally to determine if a mammogram is in her best interest, and if she is found to have breast cancer, could her quality of life be managed appropriately.

Babiera also said:

“Finding breast cancer early in this age group may not result in survival benefit and it may even increase unnecessary angst in elderly women with other ailments. On the other hand, if the woman is otherwise healthy and could be a surgical candidate, should breast cancer be found by a routine mammogram, perhaps she could be offered less invasive treatment and spared from toxic therapies given to women diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.”

I’m not sure where I stand on this one — I mean, I keep picturing my grandmother, who died at the ripe old age of 93, and had she been diagnosed with cancer at that time of her life I can’t imagine I’d want her to endure any treatment at all. Her days were already numbered after all.

What do you think? Will you be getting mammograms when you’re waaaaaay over the hill?