Does Mammography Really Save Lives?

Staying Well: Take Steps to Reduce Your Risk or Find Breast Cancer Early

Does Mammography Really Save Lives?
Since 1990, more and more women have been surviving breast cancer, in part because of early detection. Mammograms – x-rays of the breast – are the most common tool for finding breast cancer early in women who have no symptoms.
However, during the last year, there have been many conflicting messages about the role of mammograms in saving lives from breast cancer. Because doctors can't always tell from a mammogram whether an abnormal area is cancerous, some worry the screening test leads to too many false positives and unnecessary biopsies that can cause women a lot of anxiety. The flip side is that mammograms aren’t perfect; they can miss some cancers, too. There is also new concern about "overdiagnosis" – the idea that some breast cancers might not need to be treated because they would never become life-threatening.
Despite these limitations, there’s plenty of evidence that mammograms offer substantial benefit for women starting in their 40's.
The American Cancer Society recommends yearly mammograms for women age 40 and older, along with a breast exam by a health care professional. Women at high risk for the disease should get an MRI annually, as well. A strong family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, prior chest radiation therapy, and carrying BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations put women at increased risk for the disease. In addition, all women should be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel and report any changes to a doctor right away.
To learn more about what the current research says about mammography and to find out what else you can do to help lower your risk of breast cancer, check out this video featuring Otis Brawley, MD, the American Cancer Society’s Chief Medical Officer, and Len Lichtenfeld, MD, the Society’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer. You can also learn more at cancer.org/breastcancer.