Breast cancer in older women: trends in diagnosis.

Breast cancer is a disease of elderly as well as middle-aged women. Even in patients of advanced age, breast cancer shortens life expectancy. Early diagnosis, through preventative screening with mammography and physical examination, offers the best hope of cure. Deterrents to use of mammography have included radiation risk, unnecessary biopsies, and cost. However, current low radiation doses minimize radiation risks; test specificity is much better in older women, leading to fewer unnecessary biopsies; and new Medicare guidelines lower out-of-pocket patient cost. With increased education of older women and health care providers, methods to decrease mortality from breast cancer in the elderly can become widespread.