Radiology, Vol 194, 193-197, Copyright © 1995 by Radiological Society of North America
Clinical efficacy of mammographic screening in the elderly
RM Faulk, EA Sickles, RA Sollitto, SH Ominsky, HB Galvin and SD Frankel
Department of Radiology, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco.
PURPOSE: To compare mammographic screening results for women aged 65 years
and older (elderly group) with those for women aged 50-64 years (younger
group). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mammography was performed in 32,140 women
aged 50 years and older (10,914 elderly, 21,226 younger). Parameters
studied included demographic data, screening interpretations, disposition
of abnormal interpretations, results of biopsies, and characteristics of
breast cancers. RESULTS: The cancer detection rate is substantially higher
in elderly women (9.2 per 1,000 women) than in younger women (5.7 per 1,000
women). The median size of cancers in elderly women is 11 mm (vs 12 mm in
younger women). Axillary nodal status is 93% node negative in elderly women
(vs 88% node negative in younger women). Cancer stage is earlier in elderly
women than it is in younger women (84% stage 0 or 1 vs 75% stage 0 or 1).
CONCLUSION: Mammographic screening is at least as effective in detecting
cancers for which there is a favorable prognosis in women aged 65 years and
older as it is in women aged 50-64 years. Because the efficacy of screening
in younger-group women has already been proved, it may be inferred that
screening also benefits elderly-group women.
