Don't be confused about NIH's recommendations. Here is synopsis of the findings:
While only one out of 10 invasive breast cancers is missed in mammographies done on women in their 50s, one of four is missed in women in their 40s.
The panelists said that women who got falsely reassuring results might not investigate a suspicious lump because they would think the mammography gave them a clean bill of health.
False positive results are more common among the younger age group, with 30 percent of women in their 40s being referred for additional tests after a mammogram. Yet mammograms lead to only half as many cancers being diagnosed for women in their 40s as for women in their 50s.
Another concern was that mammograms would pick up certain precancerous breast changes that might be treated unnecessarily.
Mammograms expose women to low levels of radiation, and there was some concern on the panel that the radiation itself might induce breast cancer.
Other experts disagree, saying that the tests expose women to extremely low levels of radiation as long as the equipment is checked regularly, and that no studies have ever found a higher incidence of breast cancer among women who had regular mammographies.
The panel said that women who had false positives with mammograms at a younger age might avoid future mammograms, at an age when they are more accurate.
Sorce: NIH
