New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations Released by IARC

A report on breast cancer screening recommends inclusion of older patients in screening programs.

While mammogram screening saves lives, for each breast cancer death prevented, three to four women are over-diagnosed and have false-positive screening results requiring follow-up consultations, additional tests and procedures possibly including biopsy. False-positives result in additional psychological, physical, and economic costs for the patient.

The report was released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC; Lyon, France). According to the report, published in the June 3, 2015, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), there are only limited benefits to screening women aged 40–49, while benefits to screening women aged 50–74 are clearer. The report entitled “Breast-Cancer Screening – Viewpoint of the IARC Working Group” researched the risks and benefits of breast cancer screening.

The authors of the IARC report include researchers from 16 countries. The researchers cite the results of studies that show a significantly lower risk for women above the age of 50 who had screening mammograms, while for women aged between 40 and 49, the evidence was limited, and screening recommendations were less clear.

The estimated false positive risk for women who got 10 screening mammograms between age 50 and 70, was 20%. Estimates of over-diagnosis varied between 4% and 11% and more, of women screened. Noninvasive ultrasound breast screening boosted cancer detection, but also increased false positive rates.

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