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| |  American Cancer Society Statement on Mammography Guidelines ATLANTA, Jan. 23, 1997 -- The American Cancer Society believes the conclusions reached at the Consensus Development Conference on Breast Cancer Screening for Women Ages 40-49, held January 21-23, 1997 did not go far enough in support of mammography in this age group. It is clearly difficult for an independent panel to interpret a large body of scientific information over a short period of time. However, despite numerous reports of clinical trials demonstrating decreased breast cancer mortality for women aged 40-49 through mammographic screening, the Panel concluded "that the available data do not warrant a single recommendation for mammography for all women in their forties." In addition, the report places undue emphasis on issues such as radiation risk, anxiety caused by false positive findings, and the fact that mammography will not detect 100 percent of cancers. Finally, we find it especially troubling that the Panel would conclude once again that the burden of decision for a woman in her 40s is hers alone. The American Cancer Society recommends that women follow its current guideline for early detection of breast cancer beginning a regular program of mammography screening at age 40, followed by mammograms every one to two years. New data presented at this meeting provide further support that women in their 40s benefit from participation in routine mammography screening programs. In 1993, the National Cancer Institute's statement on this issue concluded that clinical trials had not yet produced statistically significant data proving a mortality benefit from regular mammographic screening. However, current data from these trials does provide statistically significant evidence that screening women age 40-49 with mammography can save lives. In early March, the American Cancer Society will convene an expert panel to review the Society's current guidelines for breast cancer screening for women of all age groups, and will include in that review the new data that were presented at the National Institutes of Health meeting. Of particular importance is the issue of screening intervals, for which existing data presented suggest that the mortality benefit might be even greater if women 40-49 are screened annually rather than the current recommendation of 1 to 2 years. The American Cancer Society will continue to provide information designed to inform women of the benefits of mammography screening as well as its limitations. We are confident that armed with information, mammography will be seen by women and their health care advisors, as the best current strategy to reduce death from breast cancer while also providing more favorable treatment options to manage this disease.
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