Elderly Women with Dementia Receiving Mammograms Against Recommendations

A new study in the American Journal of Public Health found that many elderly women with dementia continued to receive mammograms despite recommendations against the practice.

The American Cancer Society recommends against performing mammograms on people with fewer than five years to live. On average, women aged 70 years or older with severe cognitive impairment have a median survival of 3.3 years.

According to the study, women aged 70 or older with severe cognitive impairment had a mammogram rate of 18 percent, compared to 45 percent for women with normal cognition. Women who were cognitively impaired but had a high net worth and were married had a mammogram rate of close to 50 percent.

"Given the limited life expectancy of women with severe cognitive impairment, guidelines should explicitly recommend against screening these women," the study's authors noted.