Screening Mammography in Women Younger than 50 Years of Age
Authors: Harold C. Sox
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1995)

Editorials1 April 1995Screening Mammography in Women Younger than 50 Years of AgeHarold C. Sox, MDHarold C. Sox, MDDartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03756Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-122-7-199504010-00013 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The current controversy over doing mammography in women younger than 50 years of age illustrates a common problem for the practicing physician: what to do when the evidence is incomplete and the experts cannot agree. The Annals reader can observe this debate in the "In the Balance" section of this issue [1, 2]. Can "evidence-based medicine" provide direction for the practitioner?Some general principles may help the practitioner decide whether to screen average-risk young women using mammography.Benefits and Harms of Screening Mammography: A Brief SummaryA meta-analysis of five Swedish randomized trials of screening mammography provides information about the ...References1. Sickles EA, Kopans DB. Mammographic screening for women aged 40 to 49 years of age: the primary care practitioner's dilemma. Ann Intern Med. 1995; 122:534-8. Google Scholar2. Harris R, Leininger L. Clinical strategies for breast cancer screening: weighing and using the evidence. Ann Intern Med. 1995; 122:539-47. Google Scholar3. Nystrom L, Rutqvist LE, Wall S, Lindgren A, Lindqvist M, Ryden S, et al. Breast cancer screening with mammography: overview of Swedish randomised trials. Lancet. 1993; 341:973-8. Google Scholar4. Kerlikowske K, Grady D, Barclay J, Stickles EA, Eaton A, Ernster V. Positive predictive value of screening mammography by age and family history of breast cancer. JAMA. 1993; 270:2444-50. Google Scholar5. Farkouh ME, Lang JD, Sackett DL. Thombolytic agents: the science of the art of choosing the better treatment (Editorial). Ann Intern Med. 1994; 120:886-8. Google Scholar6. Eddy DM. Screening for breast cancer. Ann Intern Med. 1989; 111:389-99. Google Scholar7. Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination. Canadian Guide to Clinical Preventive Health Care. Ottawa: Canadian Communication Group; 1994. Google Scholar8. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Guide to Clinical Preventive Services: An Assessment of the Effectiveness of 169 Interventions. Report of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1989. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03756Corresponding Author: Harold C. Sox, MD, Department of Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoMammographic Screening for Women Aged 40 to 49 Years: The Primary Care Practitioner's Dilemma Edward A. Sickles and Daniel B. Kopans Mammographic Screening for Women 40 to 49 Years of Age Ismail Jatoi Metrics Cited byMisinformation and Facts about Breast Cancer ScreeningThe Breast Cancer Screening "Arcade" and the "Whack-A-Mole" Efforts to Reduce Access to Screening'PICO-D Management'; a decision-aid for evidence-based chiropractic education and clinical practiceThe 20-year effort to reduce access to mammography screening: Historical facts dispute a commentary in CancerThe 2009 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Guidelines are not Supported by Science: The Scientific Support for Mammography ScreeningBreast Cancer Screening With Imaging: Recommendations From the Society of Breast Imaging and the ACR on the Use of Mammography, Breast MRI, Breast Ultrasound, and Other Technologies for the Detection of Clinically Occult Breast CancerWhat Constitutes Evidence for Best Practice?Breast Cancer ScreeningDaniel B. Kopans, MDBeliefs and expectations of women under 50 years old regarding screening mammographyPhysician–patient discussions of controversial cancer screening tests11The full text of this article is available via AJPM Online at www.elsevier.com/locate/ajpmonline.Age-related Accuracy of Screening Mammography: How Should It Be Measured?Krebsvorsorge und FüherkennungThe Breast Cancer Screening Controversy and the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on Breast Cancer Screening for Women Ages 40-49False Positive Rate of Screening MammographyScreening women aged less than 50 years with a family history of breast cancerBiasing the Interpretation of Mammography Screening Data by Age Grouping: Nothing Changes Abruptly at Age 50Efficacy of Screening Mammography Among Women Aged 40 to 49 Years and 50 to 69 Years: Comparison of Relative and Absolute BenefitDILEMMAS IN BREAST DISEASESCREENING, HEALTH PROMOTION, AND PREVENTION IN WOMEN 1 April 1995Volume 122, Issue 7Page: 550-552KeywordsAge groupsBreast cancerBreast cancer screeningCancer screeningDecision makingMammographyMortalityPatientsRandomized trialsRelative risk ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 1 April 1995 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1995 by American College of Physicians. 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