Are you confused about the controversy raging over the new breast cancer screening recommendations published recently by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force? I sure am!
The task force, a government-appointed panel of doctors and scientists, has recommended that woman get mammograms every two years between the ages of 50-74. After 75 the risks and benefits are unknown according to the group. They have also recommended against breast self exam and question the value of exams by physicians. This conflicts directly with the recommendations by other medical groups, such as The American Cancer Society (ACS), which continues to recommend mammograms beginning at age 40.
The ACS believes: mammograms for women of average risk should be performed annually after age 40; breast exam by a doctor is recommended at least every three years in the 20s and 30s and annually after 40; breast exam is an option. The ACS acknowledges that mammography has limitations – some women who are screened will have false alarms, some cancers will be missed and some women will undergo unnecessary treatment. But the limitations do not change the convincing evidence that using mammography as a screening tool from age 40-74 saves lives.
Guidelines are based on an extensive review of clinical trial and other data available at the time. Judgments about the balance of risks and benefits also come into play. Experts can look at the same data and reach different conclusions. So how are we to know what to do?
What to do is not a decision you have to make on your own. Talk to your physician about the approach that is right for you. For more information on this topic visit komen.org, cancer.org, or ahrq.gov/clinic/USpstf/uspsbrca.htm.
And if you would like to show support for breast cancer awareness, treatment and research, join us at the Komen South Florida Race for the Cure on Jan. 30 in West Palm Beach. Martin Memorial is serving as the host hospital.
And for something a little more light-hearted, check out the Martin Memorial Pink Glove Challenge, which was created to help raise awareness about a disease that took the lives of more than 40,000 women and men in 2009.
--Judith Johansen, RN, BSN, CCRP
Clinical Research Coordinator
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