U.S. panel affirms support for mammography

Feb 21, 2002

The U.S. government sided with mammography yesterday in the ongoing battle over breast screening. A government task force updated its recommendation by calling for screening mammography every one to two years for women ages 40 and over.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force had previously recommended that routine screening begin at age 50. In updating its advisory, the USPSTF cited the results of eight randomized clinical trials published since it last updated its recommendation in 1996.

"Mammography is an important tool for detecting breast cancer," said Janet Allan, RN, PhD, vice chair of the USPSTF. "Clinicians and women should discuss individual risk factors to determine when to have a first mammogram and how often to have them after that."

At the same time, the National Cancer Institute reaffirmed its support of mammography. The USPSTF’s guidelines now match those of the NCI, which recommends screening for women in their 40s and older. The USPSTF is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, at the Department of Health and Human Services.

The debate over mammography screening intensified in January when a Physician Data Query (PDQ) panel claimed that there was no evidence to demonstrate that mammography lowers breast cancer mortality. The panel is sponsored by the NCI, but serves in an advisory role and does not set NCI guidelines.

By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
February 22, 2002
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