Breast cancer survivors often forgo mammography

After surviving breast cancer, the percentage of women who undergo annual mammograms declines steadily with each passing year, new research shows. This is a concerning trend because these women have an increased risk of disease recurrence or the development of a second cancer in the other breast.

The findings, which appear in the June 1st issue of Cancer, are based on a five-year assessment of annual mammography in 797 women who were 55 years of age or older and had survived breast cancer.

In the first year after treatment for breast cancer, 80 percent of the survivors were evaluated with mammography, Dr. Chyke A. Doubeni, from the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, and colleagues report.

By the fifth year of follow-up, the percentage of survivors who underwent mammography had dropped to 63 percent. Furthermore, after five years, only 33 percent of the women underwent mammogram each year.

Women who were older, those with other illnesses and women who had been diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer were more likely to not have an annual mammogram. By contrast, women who had undergone breast-conserving therapy were 38 percent more likely to have mammographic evaluation. Similarly, women who visited a gynecologist or their primary care physician were more likely to undergo mammography during that year.

"Efforts are needed to increase awareness among healthcare providers and breast cancer survivors on the value of follow-up mammography," the authors emphasize. "The current study findings highlight the importance of maintaining ongoing contact with primary care physicians and gynecologists."

SOURCE: Cancer 2006, June 1, 2005.