Mammography screening and the controversy concerning women aged 40 to 49.
The screening controversy arose from inappropriate and scientifically insupportable data analysis of the early results from the randomized, controlled trials of screening. Data were used that were inadequate for making medical recommendations by using subgroup analyses from trials that were not designed to permit subgroup analysis by age. Contrary to suggestions made by some opposed to screening women younger than the age of 50, there are no parameters such as breast density, cancer detection rate, or positive predictive value that change abruptly at age 50 or any other age. The most recent meta-analysis provides statistically significant "proof" that screening can reduce the death rate from breast cancer by at least 24% for women aged 40 to 49.
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology