American Cancer Society contradicts NIH on mammography
A panel of providers at the American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Review Workshop, held in Chicago, recommended the society change its stance on the age at which women should undergo mammographic screening.
The panel studied follow-up data from clinical trials around the world. It concluded that the data proved mammography effective in reducing breast cancer mortality for women under the age of 50.
The panel’s findings contradict those of a consensus development panel convened by the National Institutes on Health (NIH) in January. The NIH panel argued that evidence in favor of regular mammograms for women between 40 and 49 was insufficient and that women should decide for themselves when to begin being screened.
If the Atlanta-based American Cancer Society’s board of directors approves the Workshop Report, the society’s mammography guidelines will be changed to recommend annual or biennial screening for women in their forties. The society will continue to recommend annual mammography for women 50 and older.
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