A new study challenges the current U.S. Preventative Service Task Force recommendations for breast cancer screenings, as it shows mammograms performed on younger women more frequently than recommended result in more lives saved. The research appears in the February issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
The Task Force’s current recommendations are that women should be screened every other year from ages 50-74, whereas the American Cancer Society recommends that women should be screened every year from ages 40-84. The study found that the Task Force’s recommendations reduced cancer deaths by 23 percent whereas the American Cancer Society’s recommendations reduced cancer deaths by 40 percent – a difference of 71% more lives saved.
“Mammography is one of the few screening tools that has been proven to save lives and our analysis shows that for maximum survival, annual screenings beginning at 40 is best,” said director of breast imaging at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Mark Helvie, M.D.
The current breast cancer statistics, according to the American Cancer Society, are that 209,060 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and 40,230 will die from the disease.
“This data gives women more information to make an informed choice about the screening schedule that’s best for them,” Helvie added.
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