Should older women go for breast cancer screening? Experts are divided

Singapore recommends mammograms every two years for women aged 50 years and older. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

SINGAPORE: Screening for breast cancer in older women could do more harm than good, a study funded by the United States’ National Cancer Institute has found.

The study of over 54,000 older women who were screened for breast cancer found that among those aged between 70 and 74, there was overdiagnosis for 31 per cent of them. The figure was higher for those aged between 75 and 84 – at 54 per cent.