New Mammogram Recommendations: The Right Message for Women?

On Monday, the U.S. Prevention Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued new screening recommendations for women who are asymptomatic and who are not at increased risk of developing breast cancer. The guidelines call for an end to annual mammography screening for women 40 to 49 as well as a shift to biannual (every two years) screening for post-menopausal women. The report also said physicians need not teach women breast self-exam techniques.

"The USPSTF," said Erica Harvey, Executive Director of Breast Cancer Charities of America, "is taking a stance on reducing harm from overtreatment. We endorse these new guidelines because the incidence of false positives, where a mammogram shows a problem but biopsy reveals that the problem is not cancer. The report also leads us to focus our efforts to find more accurate screening technologies."

The Breast Cancer Charities of America is dedicated to integrating techniques such as nutrition, exercise, mind/body, and social support into the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. This includes non-invasive preventative measures such as reducing the number of women who are overtreated and mis-diagnosed.

The new guidelines, which do not apply to a small group of women who are at high risk for breast cancer due to a gene mutation or extensive chest radiation, reverse longstanding and widely held cultural beliefs about the need and effectiveness of screening and early detection, are consistent with practices in most other countries with breast cancer screening programs. Those countries have no worse outcomes measured by breast cancer mortality than the U.S.

The essential message to American women not at increased risk of breast cancer is:

1. Forgo routine mammograms if they are in their 40s.

2. Starting at age 50, get a mammogram every two years until age 74.

3. Continue monthly self examinations - if you find something suspicious, visit your medical provider

Harvey continued, "We know this recommendation will be upsetting to some women, especially those who found a cancer through mammography while still in the 40s. However, the largely unreported downside to screening is too frequently overlooked. From personal anxiety, to physical deformity, to overtreatment, the problems are very real. The new guidelines make for rational public policy."