News
Many Breast Cancer Survivors May Be Able to Forgo Mammograms in Old Age: Study
Older breast cancer survivors often have other medical issues and a shorter life expectancy than younger breast cancer survivors. What’s more, their cancers are often slow-growing, and surveillance may lead to over-treatment of cancers that won’t kill them, researchers say.
Despite these downsides, older breast cancer survivors are still undergoing mammograms even though their risk of developing a second breast cancer is low, a new study found.
“It may be OK to forgo mammograms as there is a low risk of another breast cancer diagnosis in women with limited life expectancy or with hormone-sensitive tumors,” said study author Dr. Elizabeth Berger, an assistant professor of surgery at Yale University School of Medicine. Certain hormone-sensitive breast cancers are considered less aggressive.
Source: US News