Women have long been told that, barring a family history of breast cancer or other risk factors, they should start yearly routine mammograms at age 40. Now, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel of experts appointed by the U.S. government, has just released new recommendations stating that women under 50 of average risk do not need regular mammograms and that those ages 50 to 74 should get them just once every two years. An additional recommendation advises physicians not to teach women how to perform breast self-exams.
The USPSTF says that the new recommendations are based on data and analyses showing that older women benefit more from mammograms than do younger women and are aimed at reducing the potential harm from overscreening. The task force is not saying mammograms don’t work, just that the benefits for younger women are modest and should be weighed against the potential harms of further unnecessary tests such as biopsies, and the psychological stress that false-positives can cause patients.
There is concern about how these new guidelines will affect insurance coverage for mammograms; some advocates of annual screening and early detection question whether the new guidelines are based less on the scientific data than the politics of curbing health care costs. But regardless of how the debate will unfold, each woman faces the decision of whether or not to follow the new recommendations.
How is a woman to know what to do, when there is so much conflicting and confusing information? CancerCare advocates that each woman should know her family history of breast cancer and discuss her individual risk with her doctor to make an informed decision.
If you were diagnosed with breast cancer, we invite you to comment on this issue. What role did routine screening and mammography play in your diagnosis, and how do you feel about the new recommendations?
MediaCurves.com conducted a study among 600 about the new guidelines released by the Preventive Services Task Force of the Department of Health and Human Services recommending against regular mammography tests for women under 50 years old. Results found that the majority of physicians (78%) reported that they do not agree with the new guidelines. Furthermore, the majority of physicians (78%) also reported that the advice they give to patients will not change based on the new Preventive Services Task Force of the Department of Health and Human Services guidelines.
More in depth results can be seen at:
https://www.mediacurves.com/HealthCare/J7646-MammogramGuidelines/Index.cfm
Thanks,
Ben
It is my opinion these new guidelines have nothing to do with new findings about what is needed or not needed in terms of preventative cancer screening. The whole thing is politically motivated, to the detriment of Women.
How many countless lives have been saved because of our proactive policies on preventative cancer screening. I know my Mom’s life was.