Aunt Minnie (8/19) reports that research indicated “physicians who refer patients to mammography screening are affected by their own specialty’s guidelines on breast exams.” This is “a phenomenon that patients need to understand to make truly informed decisions about breast cancer screening, wrote” the researchers. The findings were published online in the American Journal of Roentgenology. The article points out that prior to “2009, the American College of Radiology (ACR), the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American College of Physicians (ACP) all recommended starting screening at age 40, with an interval of one to two years.” 

HealthDay (7/28, Dotinga) reports that research indicated “women who communicated via social media after a breast cancer diagnosis and received information and/or support about treatment approaches were happier with their ultimate decisions.” The findings were published in JAMA Oncology.

 

The clock is ticking on a two-year moratorium on changes to insurance coverage for breast cancer screening, as outlined in the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) 2016 final draft recommendations. For private insurers, this means they will continue to follow the task force's 2002 recommendations, which state that women 40 years of age and older should undergo screening mammograms every one to two years. For women, this move keeps the window open for more accessible screening mammography.

A Cancer expert, Dr. Brian Bolwell of the Cleveland Clinic, says the National Cancer Moonshot, President Barack Obama's plan to eliminate cancer, needs to focus more on the importance of the early detection of cancer. 

SBI member and renowned radiology researcher Etta Pisano, MD, FSBI, will represent the medical imaging community at the June 29 National Summit for the National Cancer Moon Shot Initiative in Washington. The daylong conference is intended to galvanize the Obama Administration’s push to double the pace of research toward curing cancer through the $1 billion National Cancer Moonshot initiative.