The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) plans to host a conference later this month to develop uniform guidelines for breast cancer screening that can be used nationwide.
Major organizations and women's healthcare providers, including the American Cancer Society, will attend to evaluate and interpret existing screening data in greater detail, according to ACOG.
ACOG continues to stand by its current guidelines, which advocate that women have annual mammograms beginning at age 40 -- in contrast to the final recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), published January 11 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which recommends that screening start at 50 for most women. The American Cancer Society recently changed its position to recommend screening starting at 45 for average-risk women.
"We recognize that guidelines and recommendations evolve as new evidence emerges, but currently ACOG continues to support routine mammograms beginning at age 40 as well as continued use of clinical breast examinations," ACOG President Dr. Mark DeFrancesco said in a statement.
