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Article: Breast Tumors Grow Rapidly In Younger Women, Study Says; Annual Mammograms Suggested for Those Concerned
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- July 3, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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A study found that breast tumors in women under 50 can grow
rapidly -- from too-small-to-be-detected to large -- in less than
two years, suggesting that those worried about cancer should get
mammograms every year.
Doctors have known that mammograms are less effective in
finding cancer in women under 50. Previously, they assumed the
reason was that younger women have denser breast tissue and less fat
in their breasts than older women, making malignancies more
difficult to see on mammograms, or X-ray images of the breast.
But in a study of 28,271 women over 29 years of age who
underwent mammograms between 1985 and 1992, researchers found that
breast density did not affect the accuracy ...