Women who missed their previous mammogram often found themselves facing bigger, nastier tumors when cancer was finally detected. This Swedish study compared women who attended their last screening with those who skipped it. The “skippers” tended to have cancers that were larger, more advanced, and harder to treat. It’s basically the scientific version of “don’t ignore that calendar reminder.”

The researchers concluded that showing up consistently helps catch cancers while they’re still small and manageable, which leads to better survival. In other words: if breast cancer were a burglar, regular screening is like having an alarm that goes off early instead of discovering footprints in the carpet months later.

This German study looked at what happens when radiologists get an AI buddy to double-check mammograms, and it turns out, the buddy is pretty sharp. Adding AI as a second reader increased the cancer detection rate from 5.7 to 6.7 cases per 1,000 women, which is about an 18% bump, without increasing false positives. Translation: it found more real cancers without calling back a bunch of healthy people.

It’s a promising peek into how AI can upgrade screening programs around the world, without replacing radiologists, but giving them superhero-level eyesight. More cancers caught early = fewer surprises later. 

This mega-review pulled data from decades of screening studies and confirmed the big takeaway we all hope for: mammograms help people live longer. Across the board, screening was linked to about a 15% relative drop in breast cancer mortality. That translates to a few fewer deaths per 1,000 screened women, with the benefit getting stronger as age increases.

While reviews aren’t as flashy as AI robots or new gadgets, they’re the backbone of public health recommendations. And this one reinforces a simple message: early detection gives people more time, more treatment options, and better outcomes.