Women aged 80 and older who have regular mammograms significantly reduce their chances of being diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer, according to a new study. Yet only about 20 percent of women in this age group get mammograms regularly. The study was reported by Reuters.

“This study suggests that mammography benefits may have no age limit and that women should consider being screened on a regular basis, even into their 80s and possibly 90s, depending on their current health status,” study chief Dr. Brian D. Badgwell, MD, of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center said in a written statement.

“Mammography has been shown to be an excellent means of detecting breast cancer early, when it is most likely to be cured,” he added. “We found that when breast cancer was diagnosed, it was more likely to be found at an early stage when a woman had at least three mammograms in the five-year period before diagnosis.

It makes perfect sense to urge your loved ones to continue this diagnostic procedure as they age.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 24th, 2008 at 6:23 am and is filed under Cancer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.