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HHS Affirms Value of mammography
for Detecting Breast Cancer
Feb 21, 2002
HHS Press Office
Printable Version
"
The federal government makes a clear recommendation to women on mammography:
If you are 40 or older, get screened for breast cancer with mammography every
one to two years," Secretary Thompson said. "While developing technology
certainly holds the promise for new detection and treatment methods, mammography
remains a strong and important tool in the early detection of breast cancer.
The early detection of breast cancer can save lives." The USPSTF published
two earlier breast cancer screening recommendations, in 1989 and 1996, that
both endorsed mammography for women over age 50. The USPSTF
is now extending that recommendation to all women over age 40, but found
that the strongest evidence of benefit and reduced
mortality from breast cancer
is among women ages 50-69. The recommendation acknowledges that there are
some risks
associated with mammography (false-positive results that lead to unnecessary
biopsies or surgery), but that these risks lessen as women get older.
The
National Cancer Institute (NCI) has also reaffirmed
its support for mammography. "Early
detection of cancer saves lives and we continue to recommend mammography
for women in their 40s and older," said Andrew
von Eschenbach, M.D., director of the NCI. "While
we seek improved methods of diagnosis and treatment
of breast cancer, today mammography remains an important part of our effort
to save
lives through early detection."
Breast cancer is the most common
cancer among women in the United States. In 2001,
an estimated 192,200 women were
diagnosed with breast cancer,
and 40,600
women died from the disease.
In addition to age, other factors may increase a woman's risk of breast
cancer. The strongest risk factors are a family history of breast cancer
in a mother
or sister, having already been diagnosed with breast cancer, or having
had a previous breast biopsy showing atypical hyperplasia (an irregular
pattern
of
cell growth).
"
Mammography is an important tool for detecting breast cancer," said
Janet Allan, Ph.D., R.N., vice chair of the USPSTF. "Clinicians
and women should discuss individual risk factors to determine when
to have a first mammogram
and how often to have them after that." Today's USPSTF recommendation
results largely from the review of eight randomized controlled trials
of mammography (four of mammography alone
and four of mammography
plus clinical breast examination) that have reported results with 11
to 20 years of follow up. These studies have all been published since
the
task
force last
addressed this issue in 1996.
The USPSTF also noted that there
remains insufficient evidence to recommend for or
against
routine clinical breast examination alone as a
screening tool for
breast cancer and insufficient evidence to recommend for or against
routinely teaching or performing routine breast self-examination.
While these techniques
detect some additional cancers, there were not enough data to determine
whether they reduced deaths from breast cancer.
The USPSTF, the leading independent panel of private-sector experts
in prevention and primary care, is sponsored by HHS' Agency for Healthcare
Research and
Quality (AHRQ) and conducts rigorous, impartial assessments of scientific
evidence for
a broad range of preventive services. The breast cancer screening recommendation
and materials for clinicians and patients are available on the Web at http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/3rduspstf/breastcancer/ or
by calling AHRQ's toll-free information clearinghouse at
1-800-358-9295.
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