Dear Women's Imaging Insider,
When the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued new guidelines for screening mammography in 2009, it ignited a debate that continues to burn today. Reversing its previous position that women should get mammograms annually starting at age 40, the USPSTF recommended that women start screening at 50 and receive exams only every other year.
This argument about mammography's effectiveness, when women should start screening, and how often they should have the exam is only the latest controversy since the technology was introduced in the 1970s, according to Dr. Handel Reynolds, a breast radiologist at the Doris Shaheen Breast Health Center at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.
Dr. Reynolds has written a book that outlines the history of mammography as a breast cancer screening tool, and we're bringing you an excerpt that describes how the concept of early detection was established. This Insider Exclusive is available to you before the rest of our AuntMinnie.com members.
When you've finished the article, find out what else is going on in the Women's Imaging Digital Community, including coverage from the European Congress of Radiology in Vienna:
- Learn why European researchers believe that considering menopause as a factor helps improve ultrasound's performance.
- Consider the implications of research that suggests radiologists judge breast density the same whether they're reading digital or analog exams.
- Read what experts have to say about proton therapy's potential role in treating breast cancer.
- Find out why Japanese researchers believe ultrasound computer-aided detection helps characterize breast lesions.
- Discover how accelerated whole-breast radiation therapy has proved to be as effective as conventional therapy for early-stage breast cancer patients.
As always, if you have a comment, report, or article idea to share about any aspect of women's imaging, I invite you to contact me.
