A Message from Teri Fontenot
President/CEO – Woman’s Hospital
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
There has been some recent controversy regarding a recommendation by the United States Preventative Services Task Force of the US Department of Health and Human Services (USPSTF) to eliminate screening mammograms for women ages 40 to 49. As the largest medical provider of breast cancer care in Louisiana, the physicians and staff at Woman’s are very concerned about the implications of delaying preventative care for women. Our experience does not support the recommendations.
More than one-third of the breast cancers diagnosed at Woman’s Hospital occur in women under the age of 50. For this reason, Woman’s Hospital and its radiologists are surprised and concerned about recent United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations to eliminate screening mammograms for women between the ages of 40 and 49.
The recommendations would hinder women from getting the screening mammograms they need. Multiple world-wide studies led to the existing recommendations and support the position that early detection saves lives. The task force study ignores pivotal and respected data demonstrating that screening mammography has decreased breast cancer deaths among women in their 40s by over 40%. The task force reviewed the cost of lives saved but did not review the physical, psychological and cost benefits of early detection which could lead to less invasive procedures and treatments.
The task force research also states that screening women in their 40s would reduce their risk of death from breast cancer by 15%, just as it does for women in their 50s. With its new recommendations, the task force is essentially telling women that mammography at age 40 – 49 saves lives, just not enough of them. The new recommendations advise women at “high risk” to opt for earlier or more frequent screening, but overlook the important fact that over 70% of all breast cancers occur in women who are not at high risk.
Currently, in Louisiana, only 46% of women in need of a mammogram actually get one. The task force’s recommendations will cause more women to neglect their health. Woman’s Hospital and its Radiology Department recommend that patients continue to follow the advice of the American Cancer Society and the American College of Radiology. This includes annual breast screening beginning at age 40 using mammography and clinical breast exam.