U.S. mammography rates down

WASHINGTON, May 15 (UPI) -- Screening mammography rates to detect breast cancer fell by some 4 percent in the United States between 2000 and 2005, a study found.

This is the first study to show that the trend is nationwide among women for whom the test is intended to reduce mortality risk, according to the study published in the June 15 issue of Cancer.

Dr. Nancy Breen, of the National Cancer Institute, found that between 1987 and 2000 there was a steady increase in the use of mammography for women over age 40, while rates were relatively flat from 2000 to 2003.

However, in 2005 breast cancer screening fell by 4 percent compared with rates observed in 2000. This decline was significant for women over age 50 and some of the sharpest declines were seen among women who previously reported high screening rates: women between age 50 and 64 and women in the higher socioeconomic levels, according to Breen.