Hoag Breast Care Center
Should women in their 40s continue to receive Mammograms?
Many women are feeling confused about the recent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) announcement which runs counter to their 2002 recommendations regarding mammography in women under 50. In part, the USPSTF now recommends against routine screening mammography for women between 40 and 50. While not renouncing all screening in this age group, the USPSTF suggests that the decision to screen regularly should be an individual one between a patient and her health care provider, taking into account such things as risk factors for breast cancer and knowledge of a risk:benefit ratio. In addition to citing potential harm from false positive findings, which might result in an “unnecessary” biopsy, the USPSTF also relied on population-based cost effectiveness analyses.
The breast health experts at Hoag Breast Care Center, as well as leading medical societies and national breast cancer advocacy groups, are speaking out against the USPSTF recommendations, such as:
Hoag Breast Care Center stands by the established recommendations for routine annual mammography for all women age 40 and older. Why? Because mammography is the only screening tool that has proven to decrease mortality from breast cancer in women 40 and above. Screening mammography remains the gold standard in the early detection of breast cancer. Numerous studies have validated these observations and it is worth noting that mortality from breast cancer in the US has declined 30 percent since 1990, five years after the widespread introduction of screening mammography. Data confirm that this reduction in mortality is directly attributable to screening, leading to the conclusion that early detection saves lives and positively impacts the quality of life as well.
The fact is, a significant number of women in their 40s do get breast cancer. Hoag reports that nearly 25 percent of all breast cancer detected at Hoag imaging centers is discovered in women under the age of 50. The lives of women in this age group may be at risk should women opt out of mammography due to the influence of the USPSTF recommendations. Hoag is also able to boast a very low false positive rate when compared to national figures – the high number of false positives nationally were cited by the USPSTF as a reason for re-evaluating routine screening.
Thus, a very important issue here is that women should receive their breast care from a quality breast center – one that provides excellent screening, as well as advanced diagnostic and treatment options through a multidisciplinary team of highly-trained experts. Designated as a Certified Quality Breast CenterTM by the National Consortium of Breast Centers, Hoag Breast Care Center remains committed to providing Orange County women with the highest quality breast services in a comfortable, patient-friendly environment.
If you have questions or concerns about mammography, or would like to know more about the services of Hoag Breast Care Center, please feel free to call us 949/764-5454.
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