The survey of women 65 years of age and older indicates that 85% have had at least one mammogram in their lifetime, a 25% increase from a similar survey conducted in 1992. Of the women who had a mammogram, 80% received their most recent test 2 years ago or less, a 55% increase over 1992.
About 57% of older women say women should have mammograms every 1 to 2 years. A quarter think it should be less often or when a doctor tells her, and 13% think it should be more often than once a year.
Misconceptions still exist. More than a third (36%) of the older women say they are not as concerned about getting breast cancer as they were when they were younger, and 34% think that women without risk factors for breast cancer can be less concerned about getting the test.
Half the women who had mammograms received them as part of routine care, and a third indicated a doctor or health professional had recommended the test. More than 75% of respondents were aware that Medicare covers the cost of mammograms, but only 58% actually used Medicare for this purpose.
For a full report, e-mail Nina Goodman, of NCI's Office of Cancer Communications, at goodmann{at}occ.nci.nih.gov.
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