Winship statement on mammography guidelines
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University recommends women continue to follow mammography screening guidelines established by the American Cancer Society (ACS). ACS guidelines recommend annual screening using mammography and clinical breast examination for all women beginning at age 40.
The recent United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations advise against regular mammography screening for women 40 to 49 years of age, recommend mammograms only every other year for women between 50 and 74 and recommend discontinuation of all breast cancer screening in women 74 and older.
Mammography is not a perfect test, however, it unquestionably has been shown to save lives. USPSTF ignored randomized, controlled trials and existing modeling studies. They commissioned their own modeling study and made recommendations based on that model before the study had ever been held to critical peer review.
In addition, the task force used just one endpoint for its study - survival. There have been numerous advances in breast cancer screening and management over the past decade, including improved mammographic technology, as well as an increased emphasis on breast-conserving surgery. The USPSTF did not consider advances in screening or treatment in its study.
If Medicare and private insurers adopt these flawed USPSTF recommendations as a rationale for refusing women coverage of these lifesaving exams, it could have deadly consequences for American women.
Walter J. Curran, MD, executive director, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, and associate vice president, Cancer, Woodruff Health Sciences Center; and Carl D'Orsi, MD, Director of Breast Imaging Research
