ASBrS 2018: Impact of Screening Mammography on Patient Outcomes in Breast Cancer
Posted: Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Women with breast cancer who received regular mammography were diagnosed with earlier-stage disease and treated with less-aggressive therapies than those who delayed or did not receive screening, according to findings presented at the 2018 American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) Annual Meeting in Orlando (Abstract 403820). Notably, those who did not undergo regular screening were more likely to be treated with chemotherapy, to undergo mastectomy, and to have axillary node dissection.
“While regular mammograms unquestionably have been demonstrated to reduce mortality, this study shows that they also are associated with less complex treatment regimens with less risk of undesirable side effects that can diminish a survivor’s ongoing quality of life,” said Elisa Port, MD, FACS, of Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, in an ASBrS press release.
The research team examined 1,125 patients who had either underwent mammography within 24 months of diagnosis (73%), delayed screening for 25 months or more (21%), or had never had a mammogram (6%). Those who did not undergo regular screening were 51% more likely to be treated with chemotherapy, 32% more likely to undergo mastectomy, and 66% more likely to have axillary node dissection than patients who underwent screening up to 24 months prior to diagnosis. Those screened within 24 months of diagnosis had significantly smaller tumors than those who had mammography 25+ months after diagnosis (12.5 vs. 14.5 mm), and those who never underwent screening had the largest mean tumor size (20 mm).
Additionally, patients between the ages of 40 and 49 who had never had a mammogram were more likely to require chemotherapy, to have positive nodes, to undergo mastectomy, to undergo axillary dissection, and to have larger tumors than those screened within 24 months.
