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Breast cancer that has been detected radiographically tends to be less malignant and more easily cured than cancer which is detected on clinical exam ( mammography, MRI, ultrasound ) , this study was presented at American Society of Breast Disease (ASBD) 34th Annual Symposium.

"Usually radiography-detected cancers which are diagnosed earlier, like DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), are also generally oestrogen receptor-positive," along with being smaller in size, according to Mandy Greenberg, MD, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center and Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, New York, who presented the study on April 16.

Breast cancer is usually more aggressive when detected in women aged younger than 40 years, than in women in their 70s and 80s, Dr. Greenberg said. "A mammogram works by compressing some of the fat so you can look at the breast tissue, and as women get older, they get more fat and less breast tissue," another factor which accounts for the findings, she added.

In the study, Dr. Greenberg and colleagues divided 2,017 patients with breast cancer treated at St. Luke's-Roosevelt and Beth Israel into groups of those who had been diagnosed clinically and those who had been diagnosed by mammogram, magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ), or ultrasound. Of the 2 groups, 1,241 (62%), presented radiographically and 776 (38%) presented clinically.

Of the 62% of patients diagnosed radiographically, most were diagnosed either by MRI or mammogram, with only 5% diagnosed by ultrasound.

Women aged 40 to 49 years were 56% more likely to be diagnosed radiographically, while those aged 50 to 74 years were 68% more likely to be diagnosed radiographically. Women aged younger than 40 years were only 24% likely to be diagnosed radiographically.

Dr. Greenberg said that their findings confirm that more women aged 40 years and older are getting mammography screenings. Anybody over 40 is more likely to present more radiographically. Their conclusion is that women should get mammograms starting at age 40, so they can pick up cancers earlier, as per most current guidelines."

Source: ASBD

Discuss more about mammography in the mammography user group.