Concerns over new mammogram guidelines

A government task force has revealed surprising new guidelines about mammograms and breast cancer detection.

A panel of doctors and scientists suggested that women don't need mammograms until they turn 50, and that self breast exams, are no good.

Those findings contradict what the American Cancer Society has been telling women for years. One local woman says a breast self-exam and mammogram at age 42 saved her life.

Some doctors say it's a reminder that every woman's situation is different. Susan Adler felt a lump in her breast three years ago. A mammogram confirmed it was stage two breast cancer.

"That self breast exam saved my life if I didn't do it I would not be here today," said Adler.

But after years of recommending self-breast exams, a government task force now says they're unnecessary and also upping the age of mandatory mammograms from age 40 to 50, then every other year thereafter.

Susan was 42 years-old when she discovered her lump and was diagnosed with cancer.

Reporter: With these new recommendations do we run the risk of people, women, dying?

Adler said, "I personally think that we do. I felt like as women and in this cause we took a major step backwards."

Some doctors say there is no proof mammograms under age 50 are beneficial for all women.

Dr. Bachir Sakr from Women and Infants Hospital said, "A lot of the time you find women who have abnormalities that are not breast cancer. And these lead to more anxiety, more tests, more biopsies and sometimes more surgeries. The way I see this is it's probably going to push us to have a little more discussion with women between the ages of 40 and 50 regarding that rather than just recommending mammography."

Despite the new recommendations, the American Cancer Society released the following statement:

"The American Cancer Society continues to recommend annual screening using mammography and clinical breast examination for all women beginning at age 40. Our experts make this recommendation having reviewed virtually all the same data reviewed by the USPSTF, but also additional data that the USPSTF did not consider. When recommendations are based on judgments about the balance of risks and benefits, reasonable experts can look at the same data and reach different conclusions.

"In 2003, an expert panel convened by the American Cancer Society conducted an extensive review of the data available at the time, which was not substantially different from the data included in the current USPSTF review. Like the USPSTF, the Society's panel found convincing evidence that screening with mammography reduces breast cancer mortality in women ages 40-74, with age-specific benefits varying depending on the results of individual trials and which trials were combined in meta-analyses."

"And like the USPSTF, the American Cancer Society panel also found that mammography has limitations - some women who are screened will have false alarms; some cancers will be missed; and some women will undergo unnecessary treatment. These limitations are somewhat greater in women in their forties compared with women in their fifties, and somewhat greater in women in their fifties compared with women in their sixties."

"We specifically noted that the overall effectiveness of mammography increases with increasing age. But the limitations do not change the fact that breast cancer screening using mammography starting at age 40 saves lives."

"As someone who has long been a critic of those overstating the benefits of screening, I use these words advisedly: this is one screening test I recommend unequivocally, and would recommend to any woman 40 and over, be she a patient, a stranger, or a family member."

"The USPSTF says that screening 1,339 women in their 50s to save one life makes screening worthwhile in that age group. Yet USPSTF also says screening 1,904 women ages 40 to 49 in order to save one life is not worthwhile. The American Cancer Society feels that in both cases, the lifesaving benefits of screening outweigh any potential harms. Surveys of women show that they are aware of these limitations, and also place high value on detecting breast cancer early.

"With its new recommendations, the USPSTF is essentially telling women that mammography at age 40 to 49 saves lives; just not enough of them. The task force says screening women in their 40s would reduce their risk of death from breast cancer by 15 percent, just as it does for women in their 50s."

"But because women in their 40s are at lower risk of the disease than women 50 and above, the USPSTF says the actual number of lives saved is not enough to recommend widespread screening. The most recent data show us that approximately 17 percent of breast cancer deaths occurred in women who were diagnosed in their 40s, and 22 percent occurred in women diagnosed in their 50s."

"Breast cancer is a serious health problem facing adult women, and mammography is part of our solution beginning at age 40 for average risk women."

"The American Cancer Society