New guidelines from an organization of women’s health professionals say that women should start screening for breast cancer every year beginning at age 40.
The recommendation released earlier this month by the American College of Obstetricians (ACOG) adds to the debate what age women should get mammograms and how often.
“We believe it is our job to help women make the best health decision for themselves,” said Dr. Jennifer Griffin of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, one of the authors of the study. “We believe that many women will choose to have a screening mammogram every year, (and) of course there are women who will choose not to.”
The possible confusion for women can be attributed to the U.S. Preventative Task Force (USPTF), a federally funded expert panel that said in 2009 that women should start mammogram screenings every other year after age 50. Additionally, they recommended that mammograms before 50 should be based on an individual’s decision.
“I have not changed my recommendation to women, which is to start annual mammography at age 40,” said Dr. Anna Maria Storniolo, professor of medicine at IU School and Medicine and director of the Catherine Peachey Breast Cancer Prevention Program. “There is faster growth rate in breast cancers when they occur in women in their 40s especially compared to women who get breast cancer in their 70s where the growth rate is very slow.”
The bottom line Storniolo says is that since tumors that occur in women between the ages of 40 and 50 grow more rapidly, getting screened is essential.
“If you don’t do routine mammograms at all or if you do but space them further apart, you’re more likely to miss a very small tumor which could be caught and therefore taken care of when it’s still curable because it’s so small,” she said.
On the other hand, the USPTF notes that mammograms in women between age 40 and 50 create too many false positive tests, which means additional testing, unnecessary biopsies and avoidable anxiety.
Dr. Michael LeFevre, a member of the USPTF told MSNBC that half of women screened annually in their 40s will have a false positive mammogram meaning the test shows something unusual that turns out to be harmless.
“My bottom is that I will discuss mammography at age 40, I will recommend and encourage at age 50 and I will strongly encourage at age 60,” he said.
The guidelines from ACOG are for women who are at risk for breast cancer, and for African-American women 60 may be too late. According to the American Cancer Society, while white women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, Black women are more likely to die from the illness because the cancer is more aggressive.
Storniolo says she understands why women may have a misunderstanding on what age they should begin mammograms and how often. Although Storniolo recommends getting screened at age 40, she stresses it is her recommendation and women should get screened based on their risk category.
“Breast cancer is a curable disease if it is found early,” she said. “Right now, the best tool we have to find it early is digital mammography. Screening early doesn’t prevent the disease but it catches it at a point where usually surgical treatment alone or very minimal treatment will take care of it once and for all.”
