A change to the American Cancer Society’s guidelines on breast cancer screenings may surprise you.
The organization now says screening early may not be your best option.
Mammograms save lives, but according to the American Cancer Society, they may not be necessary if you are under 45.
Dr. Christine Mroz of the Mroz-Baier Breast Cancer Clinic said they’re trying to decrease the number of false positive test results women receive.
“I think the problem we are having now is our mammogram technology is so good, we are finding things that are almost precancer.”
Three of the top cancer prevention organizations disagree on what age you should start receiving regular checks.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says 40. The American Cancer Society just changed its recommended age to 45. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says 50.
“It’s very confusing,” Mroz said. “It’s confusing to the primary care provider because they don’t know what to tell the women.”
Local agencies like Susan G. Komen Memphis-Mid-South worry this means insurance companies may not pay for early detection mammograms.
“If insurance companies will no longer pay to have a mammogram at 40 and were going to wait until 45, are we going to slow down the early detection that way?” Elaine Hare with Susan G. Komen Memphis-Mid-South said.
Susan G. Komen Memphis Mid-South said that could be a deadly problem for our area in particular.
“In Memphis we have a crisis for African-American women from breast cancer,” Hare said. “Our deaths are two to one over Caucasian women, more than any other city in the United States. So we already know that we have an access-to-healthcare issue.”
Mroz stressed each case is different, and regardless of what any organization recommends, you will not know the right age for you to get screened until you talk to your own provider.
And if you want to be proactive about your health, “do self exams,”
Mroz said. “Actually, I think a lot of our cancers we see in younger people are because of self exams. They have nothing to do with mammograms.”
If you are uninsured and trying to get a mammogram, call Susan G. Komen Memphis-Mid-South for resources. Its number is 757-8686.