Breast Cancer Screening Recommended for Indian Women

The majority of women in America consider the mammogram to be a regular part of their lives once they have reached a certain age. At this point discussions about breast cancer screening tend to focus on which type of screening should be done (the traditional mammogram or the emerging breast MRI, for example) and not whether this type of screening should be done. But in some parts of the world it is still necessary to push for regular screening for breast cancer. One report indicates that it is of great importance for women in India to consider getting regular breast screening exams. Currently this is not a common procedure in the country due to lack of availability of the service and lack of awareness of the importance of this type of screening. There is an interesting problem that has occurred in countries like India in regards to breast cancer. The problem is that these women have a lower incidence of breast cancer than do those women in developed countries like the United States. However, those women who do get breast cancer usually aren't diagnosed until the late stages because they don't use preventive screening and therefore the mortality rate for the disease is higher there. Question of the Day: Should women in developing countries be urged to get breast cancer screening?