Only 1 per cent of women aged 45 years and above undergo breast cancer screening in India, as per a study. The researchers found that Kerala has the highest mammography rate of 4.5%, while Nagaland reported the lowest at 0%.
According to researchers from the Tata Memorial Centres in Varanasi and Mumbai, India’s mammography rates are significantly lower than those of other countries, with African countries having 4.5% rates, Asian countries like Korea and Japan having 40–60% rates, and European and American populations having 84% rates.
A mammography test, or mammogram, is an X-ray examination of the breast to cancer and other abnormalities. The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) recommends a clinical breast examination for women aged 30-65 years at 5-year intervals.
The team analysed data from the ‘Longitudinal Aging sample of India’, a nationally representative sample of over 73,000 persons aged 45 and above, included over 35,000 women. The first wave of the survey was carried out in 2017–18.
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As per the findings, the prevalence of mammography among Indian women aged 45 and older was 1.3%, 1.7% among those aged 45 to 59, and 0.9% among those aged 60 and older. Additionally, among women between the ages of 45 and 59, a higher uptake of mammography was linked to things including education and health disorders (diabetes, neurological illness, and reproductive health problems).