The risk of breast cancer increases with a woman’s age, but studies show that older women are not getting regular mammogram screenings as recommended. Mammography is an important tool for detecting breast cancer.

According to an article on WebMD, for women 65 to 69 years of age, the rate of regular mammograms is about 60% and it decreases for women after age 69. For all women over 65, the rate is about 48%. American Cancer Society spokeswoman, Debbie Saslow, thinks the problem is the failure of women’s health care providers to recommend testing.

“If women of any age are told to get screened, they do,” she says. “But many older women only see specialists for specific health problems, and prevention is not something they tend to focus on.”

Read the article here.

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