Breast cancer screening: recent trends in the use of mammography in Nebraska.

Although the efficacy of screening mammography has been surrounded in controversy of late, the evidence that it can reduce breast cancer mortality among women 50-74 years of age is extremely sound. In Nebraska, data from the state's Behavioral Risk Factor Survey show, that during the years 1988 to 1992, the percentage of women age 50 years and older who had ever had a mammogram rose from 50% to 65%, while the percentage of women of the same age who had had a mammogram within the past year rose from 24% to 34%. Nebraska BRFS data also show that the percentage of women 50 years of age and older who have had a mammogram within the past year varies considerably by age, income, education, and county of residence. Among women who have not had a mammogram within the past year, 66% reported that they had seen a physician within the past year for a routine check-up. Prompt and appropriate follow-up of abnormal findings by both physicians and health-care organizations is also essential to ensure the maximum benefit of screening mammography.