The American College of Radiology (ACR) in Reston, VA, praised Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for reaffirming that mammography screening is a vital tool in the battle against breast cancer.
On November 18, Sebelius addressed the controversy sparked by new recommendations announced this week by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) that women should start screening at age 50 rather than 40. She said that the U.S. government's screening mammography policies will remain unchanged, and women should continue to discuss the best course of action for preventing breast cancer with their doctors.
Women should continue to adhere to the current American Cancer Society (ACS) and ACR policies regarding screening, which recommend that women start receiving regular screening exams in their 40s, the ACR said.
The ACR requested that HHS ask USPSTF to retract its recommendation, as well as make the members of USPSTF more representative of the areas in which the group advises lawmakers.
"We ask that the Secretary officially ask the Task Force to rescind their mammography recommendations in order to avoid confusion as healthcare reform moves forward," the ACR said in a statement. "We also urge HHS to include in the USPSTF experts from the areas on which they will be advising lawmakers and submit their recommendations for comment and review to outside stakeholders in similar fashion to rules enacted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services."
Related Reading
HHS states support for younger mammo screening, November 19, 2009
Experts question motives of mammogram guidelines, November 17, 2009
USPSTF ups mammography screening age to 50, November 16, 2009
JAMA editorial raises questions about breast, prostate screening, October 22, 2009
Shock and awe over JAMA editorial, October 22, 2009
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