Sources: New England Journal of Medicine; American Cancer Society

THE LATEST study on the the controversial guidelines for mammography in the U.S., issued in 2009, calling for screening every two years rather than annually for women over 50 years old, suggests that breast cancers may be missed.  The study assessed the impact of revised guidelines issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force three years ago.

The NEJM study, relying upon nearly three decades of U.S. government data, found that nearly 1 in 3 patients (or 1.3 million women) whose cancer was detected through routine mammograms was treated for a tumor that may not have been life threatening.  Based upon that information, new guidelines were issued by the task force, in 2009, recommending mammography every two years for women ages 50 to 74.  The American Cancer Society has never changed its recommendation for routine screening  for all women over the age of 40.

Enter the latest reasearch from a team led by Dr. Elizabeth Arleo of Weill Medical College of Cornell University upon the impact of the revised task force guidelines on women 40 to 49 years of age and 65 years and older.  Arleo analyzed data on screening mammography at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center between 2007 and 2010.  In those four years, 43,351 mammograms were performed, leading to the detection of 205 breast cancers. Nearly 20% of cancers detected with screening mammography were found in women in their 40s.

According to Arleo, “In our book, it seems unacceptable to miss 19 percent of breast cancers, half of which were invasive,” and “Our findings favor the American Cancer Society recommendations. Women over 40 should have annual mammograms. In my book, there’s no confusion. I tell my patients, I tell my friends, and I tell my mother to get annual mammograms,” Arleo said in a telephone interview. “We hope we can quell some of the confusion.”

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with breast cancer which was misdiagnosed or diagnosed late, contact the Lewis Law Firm  for a FREE consultation and review of your case, today.  The Lewis Law Firm has a long history of representing women with breast cancer and their families in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.