Study Finds Biannual Mammogram Screening As Effective As Annual Screening, with Less False Positives

Biennial mammogram screening for older women has similar odds for detecting advanced-stage disease as annual screening and results in less false positives, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco examined data from the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium and Medicare claims on women between the ages of 66 to 89. The data ranged from January 1999 to December 2006, and covered 140,942 women who underwent mammogram screening, with 2993 diagnosed with breast cancer. The study found no statistical significant difference in tumor characteristics between women who underwent biennial and annual mammogram screening, but probability for false-positive mammography results was higher among annual screeners — approximately 48% for annual screeners compared with 29% for biennial screeners. For the study, click here.