Course:INDE420/Breast & Pelvic

U.S. breast cancer screening advice now in line with Canadian guidelines

2009 The Canadian Press

TORONTO — A controversy brewing over new breast cancer screening guidelines in the United States may have sparked confusion among some Canadian women.

But the Canadian Cancer Society says U.S. recommendations have now been brought in line with what experts in Canada have been telling women to do for some time.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is recommending against women in their 40s having routine mammograms because false positives can lead to unnecessary biopsies, while not improving the overall odds of survival.

Canadian Cancer Society spokeswoman Heather Chappell says women in their 40s are advised to speak to their doctors about individual breast cancer risk and whether they should be screened. However, Chappell says women aged 50 to 69 are advised to have mammograms every two years because that age group has an elevated risk of breast cancer. She says women of any age with a strong family history of breast cancer or a known genetic predisposition should talk to their doctor about their risk and a personal testing program.

U.S. Panel Recommends Delaying Regular Mammograms Until Age 50