More than one-third of New Hampshire women eligible for mammography have either never had the breast cancer screening test or have not been tested in more than two years, a new study shows.
The findings suggest to investigators that other studies may have overestimated the number of women who get screened for breast cancer regularly.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends women over 40 have a screening mammogram every one to two years.
The researchers found 36 percent of women over 40 had either never had a mammogram or had not had the test in more than 27 months. Twenty-one percent of women 80 and older had breast cancer screening at least every two years, compared to about 70 percent of women aged 40 to 69.
A previous study covering the same time period found 82 percent of New Hampshire women 50 and older reported having had a mammogram within the previous two years, Carney and her team note.
“An important, compelling concern” is the reason why women did not return for additional screening after only one or two mammograms, they say. This issue deserves additional research.