Mammography here we go again!

Source: US Department of Health and Human Services November 2009 Release

The US Preventative Services Task Force has released the latest (11/2009) recommendations for Breast Cancer Screening.  Were I a woman or performing breast self-examination (BSE) on, well myself, I’d be confused.

The Task Force has un-recommended (hey if “un-friend” is now a word, this can’t be far behind) screening mammography for women under 50. In fact, they specifically recommend against routine screening mammography in women ages 40-49.

This represents a return to the previous recommendation for biennial screening mammograms for women ages 50-74.  The Task Force saw no benefit to routine screening for women under 50 or 75 and over.

The Task Force additionally recommends against teaching patients to perform breast self- examination, a position which runs contrary to that taken by this pro BSE blogger. See http://www.medicalmalpracticelawyerblogphiladelphia.com/?p=376 It is the anecdotal and lay experience of the author that many women under age 50 discover masses or lumps on breast self-examination and that this discovery directly leads to their diagnosis.

That aside, anticipate the pro-mammography lobby to push for a formal adoption/return to the 40 and over recommendation for various reasons both medical and economic.

~Posted by David Marc Schwadron, Esquire