The American journal of medicine
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Screening mammography is effective in reducing breast cancer mortality in women between the ages of 50 and 69 years. We sought to determine whether older women who undergo screening mammography have a decreased risk of metastatic breast cancer. ⋯ Screening mammography is associated with a decreased risk of detecting metastatic breast cancer among elderly women. Public health recommendations need to weigh the benefit of screening elderly women against the cost and potential harm from screening and treating early lesions that may have no effect on mortality.