If followed, new U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) breast cancer screening recommendations will result in thousands of unnecessary deaths each year and thousands more women enduring extensive and expensive treatment than if their cancer had been found early by an annual mammogram.

Talking Points and Supporting Facts

SBI/ACR Responds to USPSTF Final Recommendations

HealthDay (1/8, Preidt) reports that research published in the American Journal of Medicine suggests “regular mammograms benefit elderly women.” Investigators “analyzed Medicare data from 1995 to 2009 on more than 4,800 black women and more than 59,000 white women, all of whom were aged 69 or older.” The researchers found that “among women aged 75 to 84, those who had annual mammograms” had a lower likelihood of dying “from breast cancer over a 10-year period than those who had irregular or no mammograms.” 

Dr. January Lopez, SBI member and director of Breast Imaging at Hoag Breast Cancer, argued in the Los Angeles Times (1/1) “Daily Pilot” that “despite new recommendations, the facts remain clear: breast cancer kills and screening saves lives.” Lopez wrote that along with the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Radiology and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, “Hoag Hospital remains steadfast in our belief that annual mammograms starting at age 40 are the standard of care.” 

Aunt Minnie (1/4, Yee) reports that aspirin “could be a worthy agent for reducing breast density and, by extension, the risk of breast cancer, according to research presented recently at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.” After examining “medical records for 26,000 women from 36 primary care and ob/gyn practices,” researchers discovered that “women who took 300 mg of aspirin or more per day had a 38% lower likelihood of having extremely or heterogeneously dense breasts.”