Breast cancer risk is reduced by annual screening before age 50

According to Science Daily, the study found lower rates of stage 2, 3 and 4 breast cancer in women aged 40 to 49 and lower rates of stage 2 and 3 breast cancer in women aged 50 to 59 from provinces that offer annual screening. This disease appears in women between 40 and 49 years old. "This is the first Canadian study to show that screening policies for women aged 40 to 49 affect women aged 50 to 59," said study co-author Dr. Anna Wilkinson of the Ottawa School of Medicine. Women who are not screened in their 40s face later-stage breast cancer in their 50s. "This means more intensive treatment for these women than if their cancer had been diagnosed at an earlier stage." Researchers analyzed data from 55,490 women aged 40 to 49 and 50 to 59 from the Canadian Cancer Registry who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2010 and 2017. The authors found that since Canadian guidelines changed in 2011 to recommend that women aged 40 to 49 years not need screening, breast cancer has increased by 13% and increased by 13%. 12.6% increase in stage 2 breast cancer for women in their forties. For women in their fifties, the incidence of stage 2 increased by 3.1 percent over the same period. In provinces without organized screening programs for women aged 40 to 49, there was a 10.3% increase in stage 4 breast cancer in women aged 50 to 59 over six years. The length of survival decreases with the more advanced stage of breast cancer at the time of diagnosis. The five-year survival rate for stage 1 breast cancer is 99.8%, compared to 23.2% for cancers diagnosed at stage 4. Such results lead to more advanced cancer, more intensive treatments and surgeries, and increased mortality. Researchers emphasize that mammography screening for women at risk should begin at age 40.