Medicine Grand Rounds, Katie Reeder-Hayes and Louise Henderson, “Mammography, When to Start, How Often, When to Stop”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States. Routine screening mammography is recommended by most groups issuing breast cancer screening guidelines. There are, however, important considerations for who should be screened, when screening should start, how often they should be screened, and when screening should stop. Drs. Reeder-Hayes and Henderson will discuss current breast cancer screening guidelines, the evaluation of benefits and risks of breast cancer screening in average risk women, newer breast imaging technologies (i.e. tomosynthesis,) and the role of mammographic breast density in screening.

Dr. Reeder-Hayes is an oncologist specializing in breast cancer with a research focus in comparative effectiveness of cancer treatments and cancer treatment disparities. Her research interests include the contribution of treatment variations and organizational characteristics to race and age disparities in cancer outcomes, effectiveness of breast cancer treatment paradigms in elderly women, and adherence to endocrine therapy in breast cancer survivors. Her training and experience includes analysis of large secondary databases, cost-effectiveness analysis, survey development and qualitative methods.

Dr. Louise Henderson is Associate Professor of Radiology and Director of the Carolina Mammography Registry. Her research interests focus on cancer screening and the application of linked cancer outcomes and Medicare/administrative data to assess patterns and outcomes of care. She is particularly interested in breast cancer screening and the performance of imaging technologies, comparative effectiveness research, and disparities in cancer screening and treatment.

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