Mammograms Backed for Women 50 to 69

For women from ages 50 to 69, getting a mammogram saves lives. That’s the conclusion of a new review of research. About 7 to 9 lives are saved for every 1,000 women who get mammograms every 2 years, the study found. That benefit outweighs potential harms, the authors concluded. Harms might include anxiety and treatments that some women don’t really need. The new analysis was based on studies in Europe and the actual experience of breast cancer screening programs there. It found that about 4 women for every 1,000 tested were “overdiagnosed.” This means the cancers found would not have been detected otherwise or caused any problems during their lives. Researchers also estimated other results for each group of 1,000 women tested. About 200 would have at least one recall visit and an extra test that showed they did not have cancer.