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The new recommendations advise women to begin yearly mammograms at age 45. The recommended age used to be 40.
Women are also advised that fewer mammograms are needed. According to the society’s guidelines, at age 55, women could transition to having mammograms every other year, although those who wish to stick to the yearly routine can do so.
“Since we last wrote a breast cancer-screening guideline, there have been the publication of quite a number of new studies that inform us about the benefits and drawbacks of screening with mammography,” said Dr. Richard C. Wender, the society’s chief cancer control officer, in a statement.
Mammograms, as explained by the American Cancer Society in a news release, sometimes find things that turn out to be harmless but that have to be checked out with additional tests that come with side effects, including pain and anxiety. An expert group weighed the benefits and harm to come up with the new guidelines, according to society officials.
“This guideline makes it so clear that all women by age 45 should begin screening – that’s when the benefits substantially outweigh the harms,” Wender said.
The guidelines also state that breast exams by a provider or self-exams are no longer recommended because research does not indicate any clear benefits.
Dr. Dortha Chu, a breast surgeon in Merced, does not agree with the changes. While she understands the guidelines are only recommendations, she said they also can mislead women and provide a false sense of security.
“I’m concerned that women will read this (the guidelines) and take it as a license to delay medical care even more,” she said.
Clinical exams, for example, are not perfect tests, she said, but they help open the dialogue between doctor and patient. These exams provide an opportunity for patients to be educated about breast changes and for the provider to become familiar with a patient’s medical history.
Self-exams are also important, not because they will directly save lives, but because they help women become familiar with their own breasts, Chu said.
“Ignoring breast exams, that part especially doesn’t sit well with me,” she said. “As medical professionals we should be doing an even better job in teaching patients how to do a self-exam properly.”
Changing mammograms from annual to every other year at age 55 is also tricky, Chu said, noting that close to one-third of her patients are in their 70s. Many of those patients, had stopped their regular mammograms because they believed they were no longer at risk of getting breast cancer, she said.
“But as long as you have breasts, you can get breast cancer,” Chu said.
Reaching a consensus in screening guidelines will always be difficult, the breast surgeon said. The best advice for women, she said, is to keep communicating regularly with their doctor.
However, one thing that will improve detection is new technology.
Last month, Mercy Medical Center in Merced announced the addition of a 3-D mammography system that should be ready for use early next year.
Patients currently have to travel to Modesto or Fresno for a 3-D breast screening.
Chu explained that the more in-depth screening works like a CT scan. The new mammography system can take up to 80 photos during the same exposure needed for the conventional 2-D system to take a couple of photos.
Chu said this system is definitely a step forward.
Source from : http://www.mercedsunstar.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/article41265423.html
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