Researchers Measure Accuracy of Mammograms in 2 Age Groups

Women ages 40 to 49 are less likely to have breast tumors detected by mammography screening than women over 50, especially if they have a family history of breast cancer, according to a UC San Francisco study in the July 3 Journal of the American Medical Assn. The study, examining 28,271 women from 1985 to 1992, showed that about 75% of the women age 40 to 49 with tumors had them detected by mammography compared with 93% of women over 50.

The study’s participants all received mammograms and then were given follow-up screenings in succeeding months to determine how accurate the original findings were.