Health in the News
BREAKING NEWS — Government panel changes position on mammography
On November 16, 2009 the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations for the General Public was released, changing a long standing position regarding mammography. Their new recommendations include:
- Begin screening at age 50 (formerly 40)
- Screen every other year (formerly annually)
- No screening after age 75
- Physicians should stop teaching self exam
- Benefit of physician-based physical exams was questioned
Interestingly, the USPSTF's evaluation stated that "Rather than benefit from screening, women without cancer may incur harm when undergoing mammography, additional imaging, and biopsies."
Here are two links of interest to an article from CNBC and another from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: