One of the study authors, Dr. Howard Zellen, a noted cancer clinical trial researcher, said he still recommends mammography screening.
Last month, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued new breast cancer screening guidelines, recommending that mammography screening be offered annually to women beginning at age 40.
Researchers say increased breast density impairs the accuracy of screening mammography and is a strong, if not the strongest, risk factor for missing cancer.
CNN: Health - Hormone replacement may influence mammography accuracy
From 2000 to 2003, after a few major reports questioned the value of recommending screening mammography to all women over age 40, mammogram rates did decline.
CNN: Falling breast cancer rates: What's behind the numbers?
Lee, chair of the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Communications Committee, said straightforward guidelines for screening mammography are necessary because leaving it up to a woman and her doctor is impractical.
"What the task force was trying to say is mammography is an imperfect screening tool and there are some harms associated with it, but there are also some benefits associated with it, " he said.
Uninsured adults are also much less likely to receive vaccinations, cancer screening services such as mammography and colonoscopy, and other effective preventive services.
The message really is that women should practice all aspects of breast cancer prevention and early detection, and we should all support research efforts to improve mammography and find better ways of screening.
It is unclear whether the task force's recommendations turned women in their 40s away from mammography, although some facilities reported a decrease in screening in the wake of the controversy.
There have been a number of articles in the press about mammography, and this has caused me to get quite a few questions about breast cancer screening.
Brawley noted at the time that the task force was essentially telling women that mammography at ages 40 to 49 saves lives -- just not enough of them to recommend annual screening.
So mammography is highly ineffective for 40% of women (those with dense breast tissue) who undergo mammographic screening.
FORBES: Beware Overreaching Government Efforts to Detect Breast Cancer
应用推荐