33 Should You Get a Mammogram After Age 75? PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES PHOTO BY STOCKSY WHEN IT COMES TO MAMMOGRAMS, better safe than sorry has always been the mantra-women rarely receive advice against getting the breast cancer screening. It turns out, though, that annual mammograms do not reduce deaths for women who are 75 and older, compared with stopping screening, according to a study in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The study included more than 1 million women ages 70 to 84 with no previous breast cancer and a life expectancy of at least 10 years. For those ages 70 to 74, the annual screening yielded a modest benefit: Testing 1,000 people each year resulted in one less death from breast cancer over about a decade. But for those 75 and older, annual screening did not reduce deaths. Slightly more than half of women 75 and older continue getting mammograms. The American Cancer Society advises that mammograms should continue as long as a woman is in good health and expected to live at least 10 more years. 52% More than half of women ages 75 and older undergo screening mammography in the U.S. Source: Annals of Internal Medicine ACT ON IT Ever wonder if you're getting all the recommended cancer screenings for your age? The American Cancer Society can tell you. Go to cancer.org and search "screening guidelines by age." VIM & VIGOR WINTER 2020 V1_VVWI2088_32-35_ThisJustIn.indd 33 10/26/20 11:30 AMhttp://www.cancer.org