The US Preventative Services Task Force has made recommendations on the frequency of routine mammography screening for women in certain age groups and recommends against breast self-examination.
The leading panel of experts in prevention and primary care recommends routine screening mammography every 2 years for women ages 50 to 74 with average risk for breast cancer. However, it recommends that women aged between 40 and 49 should not be screened routinely.
They believe the decision to start screening before the age of 50 should be an individual one and should take into account a woman’s age, general health, hormone level, family history, and how these factor into specific benefits and harms.
Additionally, the Task Force found insufficient evidence to assess the benefits and harms of screening mammography for women older than 75 because of the lack of studies for this age group.
The Task Force now recommends against teaching women to conduct breast self-examination.
It continues to find insufficient evidence to assess the benefits and harms of clinical breast examination as performed by a trained medical professional.
The Task Force concluded current evidence is insufficient to assess the benefits and harms of using digital mammography and magnetic resonance imaging for routine breast cancer screening.
The recommendation is published in the November 17 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine and is available on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) web site .
The Task Force, which is supported by AHRQ, conducts rigorous, impartial assessments of the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of a broad range of clinical preventive services, including screening, counselling, and preventive medications. Its recommendations are considered the gold standard for clinical preventive services.
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