Breast cancer screening: At what age to stop?

摘要

Some women 75 and older who are in good health and have excellent functional status may benefit from mammography screening, while others who are in poor health and have short life expectancies probably do not. The most significant risk of screening the oldest-old women is the detection of tumors that may not become clinically important during a patient's lifetime. The American Geriatrics Society encourages screening mammography for women younger than 85 who have at least 5 years' life expectancy and for healthy women 85 and older who have excellent functional status or who feel strongly about the benefits of screening. Several tools are available to help you target screening to older women with longer life expectancies. When you discuss stopping screening with older women who have shorter life expectancies, it is important to address the issues that make women want to continue screening, including habit and the need for reassurance.