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Mammography alone is not effective for breast cancer screening in women in their 40s because their breast tissue usually appears the same color as tumors in the images.

According to a Stanford University study published recently in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Newsday/Chicago Tribune reports.

The researchers said that mammograms work best for women older than age 50 because breast tissue in postmenopausal women appears gray on mammograms, which contrasts well with white areas that could be tumors. However, younger women have denser tissue that appears white and tends to obscure tumors.

The researchers used an assessment technique called the Breast Cancer Screening Simulator to devise hypothetical screening scenarios in which they estimated the median tumor size detectable on a mammogram. They also estimated the tumor growth rate in women ages 40 through 49 and 50 through 69. They found that tumors grew faster and were more difficult to find in younger women.

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Source: National Partnership for Women & Families