A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine demonstrates that women with more dense breast tissue should not necessarily be considered higher risk for breast cancer, nor do they require more frequent mammograms. The research shows that not all women with dense breast tissue are at high risk for breast cancer. Reuters reports:
Many patients could be screened less often for certain cancers to minimize their risk of receiving unnecessary follow-up tests or treatment for tumors that are unlikely to become harmful, U.S. doctors recommend.
Less frequent screening for some malignancies, as well as starting tests later in life and ending them earlier in old age, may make sense for some adults without a family history or other risk factors for cancer, according to American College of Physicians (ACP) guidelines published May 18 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
"There are certain cancers that, even if you detect them, are not going to progress in that person's lifetime to the point where they will die of this cancer, particularly if they have other medical problems or are already at an advanced age," said Dr. Amir Qaseem, senior author of the recommendations and director of clinical policy at the ACP.
“While mammography is currently the best screening tool we have, there are women for whom mammography is not enough,” said Dr. Constance Lehman, an author of the study and the director of breast imaging at the University of Washington in Seattle.
“We hope this work can help women be better informed regarding whether or not supplemental screening, such as with ultrasound or with M.R.I., should be considered,” she said.
The study, by a large team of experts in breast cancer and epidemiology, was done in part because many doctors thought that the laws and advocacy groups had gotten ahead of the science. About 45 percent of all women have dense breasts, but not every woman with that finding has a high risk of cancer.
Some experts warned that the new laws would give some women bad news that did not necessarily apply to them and lead to a demand for unnecessary, expensive tests that could swamp the health care system.
