A new study by researchers at UCLA suggests that regular mammograms may provide significant benefits for women in their 80s. While existing guidelines typically recommend breast cancer screening up to age 74, recommendations for women older than 75 have been less definitive.
The research, published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology, analyzed medical records from 174 women aged 80 and above who were diagnosed with breast cancer at UCLA between 2013 and 2020. The majority of these cancers were estrogen receptor–positive and HER2-negative, mostly detected at stage 1 or 2. Patients were split into two groups: those who had a mammogram within two years prior to diagnosis (98 women) and those who did not (76 women).
According to Dr. Deanna J. Attai, associate professor of surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and senior author of the study, “When cancer is found on screening, it is often early stage. In postmenopausal women with the most common hormone-sensitive breast cancers, we can often omit sentinel lymph node biopsy, chemotherapy, and sometimes even radiation. Screening is especially important in this era of de-escalation because early detection allows us to safely reduce the intensity of treatment while still achieving excellent outcomes.”
The analysis found that women who underwent regular mammograms were more likely to have their cancer detected early and required less aggressive treatments such as chemotherapy or extensive surgery. Those without recent screenings tended to present with more advanced tumors that were higher grade or detectable by touch.
After a median follow-up period of 55 months, results showed that screened women had a 55% lower risk of cancer recurrence and a 74% lower risk of death compared to those not screened. These differences remained after adjusting for age, tumor type, and surgical treatment.
Dr. Tisha Kapoor, also an investigator in the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and co-author on the study said: “We were surprised to see such a significant survival difference among these women in their 80s. Our findings underscore the importance of encouraging breast cancer screening in elderly patients, regardless of age, unless they have more pressing health issues. Current guidelines are vague and often left to the provider’s discretion, so studies like ours help provide much-needed data for this underrepresented population.”
The researchers noted limitations including reliance on retrospective medical records limited only to patients ultimately diagnosed with breast cancer; therefore potential drawbacks such as false positives or emotional stress from additional testing were not assessed. They emphasized that larger studies are needed before making broad changes to screening recommendations for older populations.
Other authors involved in this study include Dr. Siu-Yuan Huang (first author), Makaelah Murray, Angelique Rubio, Nneoma Okoro, Dr. Mina S. Sedrak, Dr. Susan A. McCloskey, Dr. Nicholas Jackson and Dr. Mediget Teshome—all affiliated with UCLA.
