Is there a right age for mammography?

New US study on breast cancer screening says it's 50 years and not 40, but not all doctors and patients in Bangalore agree, say conditions different in India

Is there a right age for mammography?

New US study on breast cancer screening says it's 50 years and not 40, but not all doctors and patients in Bangalore agree, say conditions different in India

When MiD DAY stepped out to gather responses, a mixed picture emerged.

"As a patient I will say the sooner you go the better," said K Jayanthi (44), who was diagnosed with the disease two years ago when she discovered some discharge from her nipples. "Maybe if you go at 40, then you can avoid surgery and opt for milder treatments."

But there are doctors who say that 50, and not 40, is the age when cancer can be best spotted through mammography.

REALITY CHECK: New research says get mammograms done every two years after 50. Illustration/Sameer Pawar

In black and white

Dr K Harish, a cancer specialist from Ramaiah College, Bangalore, said, "No study worldwide has proved that a mammogram is always acute when you are 40," said Harish. "Only when a person reaches menopause do the breast tissues get replaced with fat, and then you get a contrast to diagnose the spot."

Doctors feel that 50 years is the right age for screening as the cancer, which shows up as a white spot, can only be detected against a black background. This black backdrop is created only when a woman reaches menopause and fat replaces the breast tissues.

Got a family history?

But then, doctors do add that women who have a history of the disease in the family should not wait to be a certain age before getting tested. The United States Preventive Services Task Force has in its new study, made public last week, recommended that women should have mammograms every two years starting at age 50.

According to doctors, in the last few years, cities like Bangalore and Mumbai have shown a high prevalence of breast cancer.

The occurrence of the cancer in women above 35 years has been attributed to the rapid change in the earth's atmosphere, lifestyle and eating habits.

Not the same here

Doctors say that recent records show that one in every 12 persons suffers from breast cancer. "Most cancers occur differently in India than in US," said Dr Niti Raizada Narang, who heads the Centre of Breast Cure Health, Bangalore Institute of Oncology. "So US guidelines may not work here. We need more studies on this for our country."

For someone like Rowena Rego (50), who was detected with breast cancer at the age of 48, it is best if the disease is identified early in life. For the first few months after she spotted a lump in her lower breast, Rego never realised it could be cancer. "I would suggest that you should start at 40," said Rego. "It can, after all, happen to anybody, at any time."

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