Mammograms for women under 50

Mammograms given to women under 50 years with a moderate family history of breast cancer can spot cancers earlier and increase the odds for long-term survival.

There is prior evidence that population screening with mammography works in women under 50, even if it is somewhat less effective than at later ages.

The study enrolled women from 76 health centres across 34 cancer research networks, 91 percent of whom were between the ages of 40 and 44 years at the start in UK. The women's average age was 42 years, and slightly less than half had a relative with breast cancer diagnosed before they were 40 years old. The researchers examined mammogram results for 6,710 women with several relatives with breast cancer, or at least one relative diagnosed before age 40, finding that 136 were diagnosed with the cancer between 2003 and 2007. About 77 percent of the breast cancer cases diagnosed during the study were detected at screening, giving the early mammograms a 79 percent sensitivity rate. Researchers predicted an 81 percent average 10-year survival rate among participants, while survival rates for those in control groups were forecasted at no more than 73 percent.

These women, who researchers said were probably not carriers of a mutated breast cancer gene, started receiving mammograms at an earlier age than recommended. The findings showed their tumours were smaller and less aggressive than those in women screened at typical ages, and these women were more likely to be alive for 10 years after diagnosis of an invasive cancer.

The above study is important because it examines a group at high breast cancer risk for whom there are no tailored screening guidelines. However, the results need to be interpreted cautiously and further research in the area is needed.