The secret to surviving breast cancer is early detection. Experts have long believed that a woman’s chance of survival increases with the time it takes for a doctor to diagnose her with cancer. Numerous researches have examined the relationship between mammography screenings and breast cancer survival rates, and the majority have shown that early mammogram screenings save lives.
A research team with offices in Sweden and London has just published a new study. They examined information from more than 500,000 Swedish women who qualified for screening mammography.
According to the study, women who consistently attended their scheduled mammography screening sessions before receiving a cancer diagnosis had a 49% lower chance of breast cancer mortality and a 50% lower risk of developing breast cancer within 10 years of their diagnosis (Radiology, March 2, 2021).
Further investigation revealed that women who had missed an earlier session but not the most recent one (what the researchers refer to as “intermittent patients”) had a 33% lower mortality rate. A 28% mortality reduction was observed in patients who had fallen behind on their care and had only attended their final session before diagnosis.
This study confirms a widely held idea that routine screening mammograms save lives, but it also reveals the serious consequences of skipping mammograms.
In the end, women who stick to their regular screening mammography regimens have a higher survival rate than those who postpone or skip exams. It’s also useful to know that advancements like MRIs, ultrasounds, and 3D mammograms may be able to further reduce breast cancer mortality.
Now that you are aware of everything, the question is: What are you waiting for?
