Actress Kim Novak, who starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo,” was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 77. Newspaper reports said the cancer was found when Novak went in for an annual mammogram. Although mammogram screening recommendations are the subject of much debate, there is little support for continued annual screening after age 75. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which reviews evidence on preventive services such as cancer screening, recommends mammograms for women every two years after age 50. The group maintains there is insufficient evidence that mammogram screening is effective for women age 75 and older, so it’s not recommended for that age group. 

Studies show that breast cancer is easier to find in older women because their breast tissue is less dense. In 2008, a Dutch study found that for every 1,000 women in the 50 to 69 age group, 12.7 women were referred for follow-up appointments after a mammogram, and 4.5 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. In the 70 to 75 age group, 16.4 women per 1,000 screened were referred for follow-up, and 7.8 were diagnosed with breast cancer. But the researchers cautioned about regular screening over the age of 75.

“It is not necessarily an argument for continuing screening beyond 75 because many tumors found at this stage are slow growing and may never reach the stage of causing a problem,” Jacques Fracheboud, the lead researcher said when the study was released.

Screening experts, however, suggest that women of all ages discuss the relative benefits and risks of screening mammography with their doctors before deciding whether and how often to get mammograms.

— Markian Hawryluk, The Bulletin