US Mammogram Policy Will Not Change Says Health Secretary

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Main Category: Preventive Medicine
Also Included In: Breast Cancer;  Women's Health / Gynecology;  Public Health
Article Date: 19 Nov 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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US secretary for Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a statement saying that the government policy on what age routine screening mammograms should begin has not changed, following a recent task force recommendation that routine screening mammograms should start at age 50 and not age 40.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in the statement that:

"There is no question that the US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations have caused a great deal of confusion and worry among women and their families across this country."

She said she wanted "address that confusion head on":

" The US Preventive Task Force is an outside independent panel of doctors and scientists who make recommendations. They do not set federal policy and they don't determine what services are covered by the federal government," said Sebelius.

Sebelius said the US has been debating for years the age at which routine screening mammograms should start and how often they should be done.

"The Task Force has presented some new evidence for consideration but our policies remain unchanged," Sebelius stressed.

" Indeed, I would be very surprised if any private insurance company changed its mammography coverage decisions as a result of this action," she added.

She said there was still a great need for more evidence, research and scientific innovation to help women prevent, detect and fight breast cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women.

Sebelius had this "simple" message for women:

"Mammograms have always been an important life-saving tool in the fight against breast cancer and they still are today."

"Keep doing what you have been doing for years -- talk to your doctor about your individual history, ask questions, and make the decision that is right for you," she urged.

Earlier this week, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a leading independent panel of private-sector experts in prevention and primary care, put out a set of recommendations about screening mammograms, one of which was to drop routine screening mammography for women under the age of 50 and that for women younger than this the decision to have mammograms every two years should be an individual one that takes into account the patient's individual context, including "the patient's values regarding specific benefits and harms".

The recommendation has provoked a strong reaction, with some saying it will confuse women, and others saying it goes against the evidence.

The American Cancer Society says that women should get screening mammograms starting at age 40.

Women covered by Medicare, the government insurance scheme that covers older Americans and some younger ones who are disabled, have an annual mammogram at age 40 and older, according to a report in the Associated Press.

Source: HHS, AP.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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