New screening guidelines by the Preventative Services Task Force of the Department of Health and Human Services may start a lot of conversations in exam rooms across the country. The Preventative Services Task Force is recommending women be screened for breast cancer starting at age 50, with follow-up mammograms every other year. This is a change from previous guidelines and and is opposed by many cancer associations, which recommend annual mammograms starting at the age of 40.
The contrasting guidelines will likely be a source of confusion for some patients, faced with the decision to have a mammogram. It will be all the more important for physicians to provide effective counseling and ongoing dialogue with patients to help them make the decision that is right for them.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment