This month the American Cancer Society released updated breast cancer screening guidelines, adding new recommendations to an already long list of preexisting preventive care mandates.
Over a dozen separate organizations offered screening guidelines which have the potential to confuse women looking to plan their preventive care.
Screening Guidelines Vary
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Radiology, Breast Cancer.org, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the National Cancer Institute and Susan G. Komen all recommended women 40 and older undergo annual mammograms.
In its new guidelines, the American Cancer Society advised women with an average risk for breast cancer to start annual mammograms at the age of 45, continue until they reach 55 and then cut back to biennial screenings. It also suggested women with an increased risk – for example, a family history of breast cancer – undergo annual screenings indefinitely.
The ACS amended its guidelines to address high false-positive rates in women under 45, reported CNN.
"False positives are a huge deal," ACS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Otis Brawley said during an interview with the news network. "These women are so frightened and inconvenienced they swear off mammography for the rest of their lives."
The U.S. Preventative Service Task Force, the age-range outlier, suggested women begin biennial breast cancer screenings at the age of 50 and continue until they reach 74. According to The Washington Post, the USPSTF has the most tangible impact on breast cancer care and prevention, as insurance companies and government agencies use its guidelines to develop health care and public policy.
Personal Judgment Versus Consensus
Some medical professionals and preventive organizations took issue with the malleability present in new ACS guidelines.
"We are worried about the message and confusion to the public when they see these new guidelines. The cut back on screening is falsely reassuring," Breastcancer.org Founder Dr. Marisa Weiss said in an interview with The Washington Post.
The ACS contends that its nuanced recommendations enable women to make personal preventive care decisions rather than follow a stock rulebook meant for the masses, reported The New York Times.
"Although it's tempting to impose our own values, patients – both men and women – want and are able to, with appropriate guidance, make a personal decision," ACS Chief of Cancer Control Dr. Richard Wender said during an interview with Time magazine.
Dr. Kevin Oeffinger, chair of the committee that drafted the new screening suggestions for the ACS, asserted that rigid protocols are a thing of the past, reported Time. "The evidence simply no longer supports one-size-fits-all," said Oeffinger. "In medicine we are moving closer and closer to bringing about a personalized approach."
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Ronny Bachrach
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