Headlines
As reported by Woman's Day, November 27, 2009.
More on Mammograms
By Barbara Brody
Last week, I wrote about the new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which state that women should wait until age 50 to get screening mammograms. Right away I pointed out that some major medical organizations, including the American Cancer Society, don’t agree. But what do individual doctors think? Should 40-somethings start (or continue) getting mammograms, or is it safe to wait until age 50?
Although I’ve previously spoken with some experts (including renowned breast cancer specialist Dr. Susan Love) who favor the USPSTF guidelines, almost everyone else we queried disagreed with them and felt that women should still get mammograms starting at 40. Here’s what they had to say:
- "Multiple studies have shown that mammography can reduce the risk of dying of breast cancer the same amount for women in their 40's as for those 50 and older. Although breast cancer is more common as women get older, 40% of all years of life lost to breast cancer occur in women who get the disease in their 40's." — Dr. D. David Dershaw, director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York
- "Mammography has clearly shown reduction in mortality starting at age 40… The anxiety, stress, and need for more testing should be considered… and sometimes mammograms do pick up DCIS [non-invasive cancer], which can lead to over-treatment. However, as I told the New York Times, 'My patients can live with a little anxiety and stress—but not a little cancer.'" — Dr. Carolyn Runowicz, director of the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center (Note: she’s also a breast cancer survivor)
- "In general, I think one should be very cautious regarding changing any established public health recommendation because of the societal implications of such changes… I would state it is reasonable to continue the current policy [of starting mammography at age 40], but also continue to monitor data… If the evidence grows stronger for the limited utility of early screening then the standard recommendation should probably change." — Dr. Maurie Markman, vice president for clinical research at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas
What do you think? Will you start getting mammograms at 40, or wait until age 50?