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Breast Cancer Screening for Women at Average Risk

  • Risk and Prevention (ME Wood, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Breast Cancer Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review is to examine the most recent data and guidelines regarding screening for breast cancer in average risk women.

Recent Findings

The differing recommendations for screening reflect differences in value judgements between the benefits (decreased cancer-related death and morbidity) and the harms (potential for overdiagnosis, false positives, false negatives, anxiety, and cost of care) of breast cancer screening.

Summary

There are multiple organizations with recommendations for breast cancer screening in women at average risk. All organizations recommend mammography to screen for breast cancer but differ in the age at which to initiate mammograms, screening interval, and the age at which to stop screening. The final decision regarding breast cancer screening should be individualized based on the patient’s needs and values and include shared decision-making.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Breast Diagnostic Clinic, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Christina Dilaveri, Christine Klassen & Karthik Ghosh

  2. Division of Breast Imaging and Intervention, Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, USA

    Robert Fazzio

Authors
  1. Christina Dilaveri
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  2. Christine Klassen
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  3. Robert Fazzio
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  4. Karthik Ghosh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christina Dilaveri.

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Christina Dilaveri, Christine Klassen, Robert Fazzio, and Karthik Ghosh declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this manuscript.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Dilaveri, C., Klassen, C., Fazzio, R. et al. Breast Cancer Screening for Women at Average Risk. Curr Breast Cancer Rep 11, 123–128 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12609-019-00324-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12609-019-00324-4

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