Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cancer Society Updates Mammogram Guidelines
The Associated Press: Cancer Group's Mammogram Advice: Start Later And Get Fewer
The American Cancer Society now says women should start mammograms later in life and get fewer of them, a stance that puts the trusted group closer to an influential government task force's advice. In new guidelines out Tuesday, the cancer society recommends that most women should begin annual screening for breast cancer at age 45 instead of 40, and switch to every other year at 55. The task force advises screening every other year starting at age 50. It's not a one-size-fits-all recommendation; both groups say women's preferences for when to be scanned should be considered. (Tanner, 10/20)
The Washington Post: In Major Shift, New Guidelines Scale Back Breast Cancer Screenings For Younger Women
Richard Wender, a member of the breast cancer guideline panel and a former president of the ACS, said that the new recommendations confirm that mammography is the most important thing a woman can do to reduce her chance of dying of breast cancer but that they provide a more “personalized and tailored approach.” (Cha, 10/20)
The Wall Street Journal: New Guidelines Push Back Age For Mammograms
At age 55, women should cut back to one mammogram every two years and continue that pattern for as long as they are healthy and expect to live at least 10 more years, the cancer society said. That is because breast cancer in that age group grows slowly enough that yearly screenings add only a small benefit while raising the risk of false positives. (Beck, 10/20)
The New York Times: American Cancer Society, In A Shift, Recommends Fewer Mammograms
The organization also said it no longer recommended clinical breast exams, in which doctors or nurses feel for lumps, for women of any age who have had no symptoms of abnormality in the breasts. Previously, the society recommended mammograms and clinical breast exams every year, starting at 40. (Grady, 10/20)
NPR: Why Is Mammogram Advice Still Such A Tangle? Ask Your Doctor
Researchers say that, across a 10-year period of getting annual mammograms, women overall have a 50-50 chance of being called back at least once for further testing that turns up nothing cancerous. And that's one reason why the American Cancer Society changed its advice Tuesday. (Neighmond, 10/21)
PBS Newshour: How To Make Sense Of The New Mammogram Guidelines
There have been years of debate and numerous studies questioning the value of these screenings and the age at which they should begin, often forcing women to weigh the risk of false diagnoses and overtreatment vs. early treatment that can save a woman’s life. (10/20)
The Wall Street Journal: Q&A: The New Mammogram Guidelines For Breast-Cancer Screening
The American Cancer Society’s new guidelines for mammograms have raised many questions for women. Here are the answers to some of them. (Beck, 10/20)
The Washington Post: Why This Harvard Radiologist Still Recommends Women Get Mammograms At Age 40
A high-quality screening mammogram is still considered the best way to catch breast cancer as early as possible. But members of the medical community disagree on what age all women should start getting annual mammograms, and breast cancer screening has become an increasingly polarizing topic as a result. ... But other experts strongly believe all women in their forties should get mammograms, including Daniel Kopans, a professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School and director of breast imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital. (Kim, 10/20)
