Who would benefit from digital screening mammograms?
Women who fit ANY of these three categories: • under age 50 (no matter what level of breast tissue density they had) • of any age with heterogeneously (very dense) or extremely dense breasts • pre- or perimenopausal women of any age (defined as women who had a last menstrual period within 12 months of their mammograms). Who would not benefit from digital screening mammography? Women who fit ALL of the three categories: • over age 50 • those who do not have dense or heterogeneously (very dense) breast tissue • those who are not still menstruating. Should all women get a digital mammogram? No. At present, only 8 percent of the mammography units in the U.S. are digital systems, whereas approximately 40 percent of women undergoing screening mammography have dense breasts. Given these results, should women move up or skip their next regularly scheduled mammogram? Women should have their next mammogram when they are scheduled for it. It would be better to have a film mammogram when a woman i
