New breast cancer screening guidelines confuse women as experts disagree
If the experts can't agree on guidelines for breast cancer screening, then how are women supposed to decide? At the end of the day, the new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a panel of independent experts, have left women quite confused. Several other expert sources, including the American Cancer Society, have criticized the new guidelines and disagree with them.
To recap, here are the new guidelines (which do not apply to higher-risk women):
Women between the ages of 40 and 49 should not be routinely screened.
Women between the ages of 50 and 74 should be screened every two years.
Screenings are unnecessary for women 75 and older.
Women should not be taught how to perform breast self-examinations.
There is no additional benefit to clinical breast examination by doctors, nor are there added benefits to digital mammography or magnetic resonance imaging over film mammography.
