by Angie Warner WHNP
American Cancer Society’s (ACS) newest recommendations on breast cancer screening has been a frequently asked about topic on TV interviews, in the papers, social media and there is no exception that it is discussed at most Well Women Exams.
Women’s Care Specialists LLC (WCS) does not agree with the ACS’s current recommendations. We follow the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommendation of annual screening mammography for average risk women to begin at age 40 and to be annual from that point. ACOG plans to attend a conference in January 2016 to discuss potential changes in recommendations. Until that time WCS continues to recommend our patients with average risk get annual mammograms starting at age 40.
Although the ACS changed their recommendations for screening mammography to begin annually at 45 years old and every two years at age 55 and older, they do state women should have the choice to begin annual mammograms starting at age 40 years old.
One of the risks that ACS mentions for women between the ages of 40-44 that is slightly higher than the benefit of testing is the degree of anxiety associated with the need for additional imaging. The most common time to be called back for additional imaging and procedures is when a woman has her baseline mammogram. This is typically due to the fact there are no previous images to compare to and the younger we are the more dense our breast tissue is.
Our Health on Heels Blog entry titled Are you Dense??? has a great deal of information in relation to limitations of mammography in women with dense breasts, which applies more specifically younger women between 40-44. Stay tuned to the blog in upcoming weeks for another entry about Tomosynthesis, or 3-D imaging and how this may be a useful tool in reducing your chance of getting called back in for additional imaging.
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