Study supports screening mammography. (Women Aged 40 Years and Older).

CHICAGO -- Anew study provides additional evidence of the value of breast cancer screening with mammography for women 40 and older, Dr. Gary M. Freedman said during the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

Among 1,591 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, those with any history of mammography screening had earlier-stage disease, were more likely to have tumors under 1 cm, and were more often candidates for breast-conserving treatment than women with no history of mammography.

Several past studies have shown at least a 30% reduction in breast cancer deaths among women who had regular screenings. In 2001, Danish researchers sparked controversy after they reanalyzed previous studies and questioned whether mammogram screenings really reduce death rates.

Since then, the American Cancer Society has reaffirmed its recommendation for annual mammography screening for women aged 40 years and older, as has the National Cancer Institute, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force of the Department of Health and Human Services, which recommends annual screenings every 1-2 years for women 40 and older.

Dr. Freedman said the study, which was conducted in Philadelphia, provides still more evidence that women can benefit from regular mammography screening.

Dr. Freedman and his associates compared patients in three groups: 192 patients with no history of screening mammography; 695 women who had averaged a mammogram less than once a year; and 704 patients who on average had been screened annually or more often.

Women screened at least annually more often had a diagnosis of very early stage 0 breast cancer that ...