Biennial Breast Cancer Screening Should Start At 40, Task Force Suggests
The group based its recommendation to bump up mammograms by 10 years on studies showing "moderate net benefit." The group also found that Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer. Experts from other groups contend testing every other year isn't enough.
USA Today:
Mammograms: Women Should Begin Breast Cancer Screening In Their 40s
An influential task force has recommended that women begin mammograms at age 40 and screen every other year for breast cancer until they are 74. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's updated guidance, released Tuesday, said women with an average risk for breast cancer should begin screening at 40 rather than 50. The task force said medical evidence drawn from studies suggests every-other-year screening of breast tissue provides a "moderate net benefit" for women up to age 74. (Alltucker, 4/30)
Los Angeles Times:
To Save Black Lives, Panel Urges Regular Mammograms For All Women Ages 40 To 74
The task force recognized that among all racial and ethnic groups, Black women are most likely to be diagnosed with breast cancers that have progressed beyond stage 1, including the aggressive “triple negative” tumors that are particularly difficult to treat. Black women also have the highest mortality rate from breast cancer — about 40% higher than that of white women — “even when accounting for differences in age and stage at diagnosis,” the task force wrote in JAMA. (Kaplan, 4/30)
Axios:
U.S. Panel, Cancer Groups Differ On New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
An influential national advisory group has called for women to start getting mammograms beginning at age 40, but only every two years — a recommendation that highlights a rift within the cancer community. (Reed, 4/30)
On cancer screenings and treatment in the military —
Military.com:
Tricare Lowers Age For Colon Cancer Screenings To 45
Tricare beneficiaries at average risk for colorectal cancer can now receive covered screening exams and lab tests five years sooner, at age 45, following a recent coverage change. The change in coverage comes as people younger than 50 are getting colon cancer more often, according to the American Cancer Society. The incidence of colorectal cancer in the U.S. rose steadily from 2011 to 2020 in people younger than 50, increasing at a rate of 2% per year. Cases of advanced colon cancer in patients under 50 grew even faster during that time, at about 3% per year. (Miller, 4/30)
Military.com:
More Veterans Can Get Cancer Treatment Closer To Home As VA Expands 'Close To Me' Program
More than 9,000 veterans will have access to advanced oncology treatment and monitoring in locations closer to their homes under an expansion of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Close to Me cancer care program, according to VA officials. In the program, VA providers travel to community-based outpatient clinics to provide diagnostics, treatment and services, rather than the veteran having to travel to a VA medical center. (Kime, 4/30)
More cancer news —
AP:
EPA Rule Bans Toxic Chemical Methylene Chloride, Toxic Solvent Known To Cause Liver Cancer
The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it has finalized a ban on consumer uses of methylene chloride, a chemical that is widely used as a paint stripper but is known to cause liver cancer and other health problems. The EPA said its action will protect Americans from health risks while allowing certain commercial uses to continue with robust worker protections. (Daly, 4/30)
Reuters:
First Trial Over Zantac Cancer Claims Set To Begin In Chicago
The first trial over claims that blockbuster heartburn drug Zantac, once sold by GSK and other companies, causes cancer is set to begin this week in Chicago. Jury selection began on Tuesday before Judge Daniel Trevino of the Circuit Court of Cook County and was expected to continue Wednesday morning. Lawyers will deliver their opening statements once a jury is chosen. GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim are the only defendants in the trial, after other companies settled. (Pierson, 4/30)
Modern Healthcare:
City Of Hope Exec: Medicare Advantage Policies Should Adapt
City of Hope will further extend its reach by teaming up with more academic medical centers and employers, fueled by a $33 million funding round for its startup AccessHope. Narrow Medicare Advantage networks threaten access, however, a City of Hope executive said. AccessHope, which Duarte, California-based cancer provider City of Hope launched in 2019 and spun off in 2020, offers employees at more than 400 companies access to specialty care. (Kacik, 4/30)
