They beat cancer before the age of 21, but for women who were treated with chest radiation, that means a higher risk of developing breast cancer as adults. A recent study measures how many of these women are taking the recommended steps to manage that risk. In the United States, there are an estimated 20,000-25,000 women over the age of 25 who were treated with chest radiation for cancer as a young adult or child.
The study, featured this week in Jama, Journal Of The American Medical Association, found that in women ages 25-39, only 36% had had a mammogram in the previous 2 years and 47% had never had a mammogram. In these high-risk women between the ages of 40 and 50, just 52% were being regularly screened, although an annual mammogram is recommended for all women over the age of 40. Researchers found that raising awareness of the guidelines could make a difference. Researchers are now studying different ways to disseminate screening guideline information directly to patients, as well as physicians, in hopes of increasing these breast cancer screening rates.