Medical experts weigh in on mammogram guidelines

In what some call a surprising announcement on Tuesday, the American Cancer Society announced its revised advice on when women should start getting mammograms.

Salisbury resident Jackie Fowler says she does not agree with the new advice.

” I just think..today, women’s health is a big issue and they’re half of the work force and we are very much of the caregivers and I think that we need to make sure that we’re healthy.” Says Fowler.

A mammogram is an x-ray that many doctors say can detect early signs of breast cancer or an actual lump or mass.

The new recommendation by the American Cancer Society is to begin annual screenings at age 45 and switch to every other year at age 55. The previous recommendation was to begin screenings at age 40. The update also drops a recommendation for routine physical breast exams by doctors.

Leslie Belloso, a former practicing physician, tells 47 ABC she is conflicted on what age women should start getting mammograms.

“As you get older, you have more fat in your breasts and mammograms are more helpful; however, there are the few women that benefit from young screening ages, so I’m conflicted.” Explains Belloso.

Dr. Richard Wender of the American Cancer Society says since since the last breast cancer screening guideline in 2003, there have been new studies informing them of the benefits and drawbacks of mammography.

“So, the American Cancer Society commissioned a detailed evidence review by an external expert  group to review all of this data which was then presented to our ACS guideline committee, that committee then considered all of this new evidence over a period of months.” Explains Dr. Wender.

This is a conflicting stance from one office in Wicomico County. Dr. Gerard Hogan is a Diagnostic Radiologist at Peninsula Imaging. He says the office stands by the American College Of Radiology, which still recommends women to begin the screenings at age 40.

According to Dr. Hogan, the earlier the detection then the better.

“The idea being that if you can do that, then you can have a surgical cure. You would not have to go through the extra possible additional treatments, you know chemotherapy, and overall survival.” Explains Dr. Hogan.

He says Peninsula Imaging will continue to stand by the American College Of Radiology and its recommendation.

“We see their breasts, you know, in the mammography and we talk to them. We see these patients, we diagnose early before they feel a lump so we wouldn’t want to start later.” He says.

47 ABC also reached out to the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition for comment. A spokesperson says they follow the guidelines of the Delaware Cancer Consortium, which currently recommends that women of average risk for breast cancer begin screening once a year starting at age 40.

In a statement sent to 47 ABC, spokesperson Beth Krallis says “If the Delaware Cancer Consortium evaluates the data and comes out with a new recommendation, the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition will follow their lead. In the meantime, we encourage women to speak directly to their healthcare providers to determine at what age they should begin screening and how often.”

The guidelines were published on Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.