First of all, here's why I think they were on the right track... What most people don't understand (this has become very clear in the aftermath of this report) is that mammograms are not entirely benign. They subject the breast (an organ already prone to the development of cancer) to a fair dose of radiation (and we know that radiation can CAUSE cancer). Further, the younger you are, the more mammograms you will have under the older recommendations (annual after 40), and the lower the likelihood that the mammogram will actually find something concerning.
On the other hand, I think that the number of women who have been saved by early detection cannot be denied... And if you have ever lost anyone you love to breast cancer, you probably couldn't disagree more strongly with anyone than you do with these researchers...
After considering this, my thinking is that the best thing for most women is probably somewhere in between the old recommendations and the newer ones..
Perhaps women should continue to have their first mammogram at 40, and then depending on the findings of that initial mammogram, future mammograms could be scheduled at annual (for higher risk patients) or every two years for patients at low risk, in order to minimize their radiation exposure.
I think that we do need to eventually come up with a better test... a safer test, and a more accurate test that is also affordable.
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