Description
Breast cancer screening by mammography in the over 50s is well established in the United Kingdom. This article explores the evidence that ommencing the breast screening service at a younger age would be appropriate. Young women have more dense breast parenchyma than older women, making mammography a less sensitive device for detecting breast cancer in this age group.
Evidence from trials and meta-analysis is emerging that suggests a significant reduction of 18-27% with screening women aged 40 to 49 years at entry. It is still not clear how much of this effect may be due to screening after the women reach the age of 50.
