Breast cancer screening in women aged 80 and older: results from a national survey.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the national rates of mammography screening in women aged 80 and older and examine the relationship between health status and screening within the previous 2 years.

DESIGN

Population-based survey.

SETTING

United States.

PARTICIPANTS

Eight hundred eighty-two women aged 80 and older who responded to the 2000 National Health Interview Survey, representing an estimated 3.83 million noninstitutionalized women nationally.

MEASUREMENTS

Screening mammography, disease burden, and functional status were assessed using a questionnaire.

RESULTS

Of the 882 women, 41.5% were aged 85 and older; 19.6% had two or more significant diseases; and 12.1% were dependent in at least one activity of daily living (ADL). More than half (50.8%) had received a screening mammogram within the previous 2 years. Women with two or more significant diseases were less likely to have received screening than those without significant disease, but the difference was not statistically significant (43.9% vs 54.0%, P=.152). Women dependent in at least one ADL were less likely to receive screening mammography than women without functional impairment (37.2% vs 55.9%, P<.001). After adjustment, the likelihood of screening remained lower in women with two or more significant diseases (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.40-1.05) and in women with at least one ADL dependency (AOR=0.44, 95% CI=0.22-0.88). Of 294 women likely to have life expectancies of less than 5 years because of poor health, 39.4% received screening mammography.

CONCLUSION

More than half of women aged 80 and older in the United States receive screening mammograms. Nearly 40% of women very unlikely to benefit because of poor health received screening mammography.