Health
Breast cancer rates continue to drop
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 21, 2007
A recently noted drop in breast cancer cases in 2002 and 2003 was preceded by an earlier decrease that began in the late 1990s, according to a new study that appeared online May 3 in Breast Cancer Research.
The more recent drop occurred among women ages 50 to 69 and was attributed to a sharp decline in the use of hormone therapy among this age group. The earlier downturn occurred among women in all age groups, 45 and older, and was determined to reflect a leveling off of mammography rates.
Regular mammography screening starts at 40, and hormone therapy is most common among women ages 50 or older.
The researchers say several factors point to a plateau in screening mammography as being the cause of the drop that started in 1998 and 1999: The declines were seen in multiple age groups at the same time; decreases were greatest among women who had small tumors and localized disease that is most commonly detected by mammograms; and the decrease coincided with a plateau in mammography usage as measured by national surveys.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/05/21/hlbf0521.htm.
