Mammogram Update

Radiologists say mammograms should begin at age 40.

The NPR (1/6, Hensley) "Shots" blog reported that new recommendations appearing in the Journal of the American College of Radiology urge women to begin seeking mammograms every year beginning at age 40. The suggestion is "at odds with controversial advice by the US Preventive Services Task Force that women put off mammograms until age 50 and even then just get them every two years, in most cases." Dr. Daniel Kopans, a professor of radiology at Harvard, charged that the USPTF "didn't pay enough attention to the results of studies that show routine mammography is a major reason for a nearly 30 percent drop in breast cancer death rates since 1990."