HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - New Proposed Changes to Mammogram Guidelines

gdpawel · 11-30-2009, 12:23 PM

Rather than explaining the science behind the recommendation, the news media exploited the politics of it. The press has succeeded in sowing seeds of confusion and doubt.

"USPSTF recommends against routine screening mammography in women aged 40 to 49 years. The decision to start regular, biennial screening mammography before the age of 50 years should be an individual one and take patient context into account, including the patient's values regarding specific benefits and harms."

According to Diana Petitti, MD, MPH, Vice Chair, USPSTF, “You should talk to your doctor and make an informed decision about whether a mammography is right for you based on your family history, general health, and personal values.”

According to Dr. Steve Woloshin of the Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group, "over a ten-year period, a woman age 40 to 49 has a 0.28% chance of dying of breast cancer if she goes for regular mammograms, and a 0.33% chance of dying of breast cancer if she doesn't. A 40-year-old's chance of developing breast cancer over the next decade is 1.4%, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Mammograms cut your risk of death by breast cancer by 0.5% for women over 40 who have mammograms, and 0.4% for those that do not have mammograms.

Dr. Donald Berry, head of biostatistics at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, calculated that a decade of mammograms for a woman in her 40's increases her lifespan by an average of 5 days.

However, these are the numbers that get lost in the media rhetoric, according to Gary Schwitzer, the dean of health care journalism. But thanks to fourty years of instilling breast cancer awareness in the minds of American women, most remain convinced that breast cancer represents a real and imminent danger.

Unfortunately, there has been a failure to recognize the difference between "cost-benefit analysis" (which focuses on costs) and "comparative effectiveness research" (which considers risks and benefits for patients, regardless of cost). The USPSTF is not charged with comparing the benefits of a treatment to the cost, its mission is to compare benefits to risks.

According to Dr. Diana Petitti, "The US Preventive Services Task Force reviewed the evidence without regards to cost, without regard to insurance, without regard to coverage."

And for the nativist out there, the Task Force is an independent panel of private sector experts in prevention and primary care, set up in 1984 by a physician then serving in the Reagan administration. The idea was to fund a group that could operate outside of government to review ongoing research and data in an effort to determine how well certain strategies to combat disease actually worked.

Obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Peter Klatsky says, "the USPSTF is composed of physicians and scientists whose only motivation is to improve the health and wellness of women nationwide. Being invited onto the USPSTF is a huge honor. These are our best and brightest. They strive to determine what is best for our patients, our community, and our loved ones."

11-30-2009, 12:23 PM	#36
gdpawel Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,080	The Politics of Mammograms Rather than explaining the science behind the recommendation, the news media exploited the politics of it. The press has succeeded in sowing seeds of confusion and doubt. "USPSTF recommends against routine screening mammography in women aged 40 to 49 years. The decision to start regular, biennial screening mammography before the age of 50 years should be an individual one and take patient context into account, including the patient's values regarding specific benefits and harms." According to Diana Petitti, MD, MPH, Vice Chair, USPSTF, “You should talk to your doctor and make an informed decision about whether a mammography is right for you based on your family history, general health, and personal values.” According to Dr. Steve Woloshin of the Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group, "over a ten-year period, a woman age 40 to 49 has a 0.28% chance of dying of breast cancer if she goes for regular mammograms, and a 0.33% chance of dying of breast cancer if she doesn't. A 40-year-old's chance of developing breast cancer over the next decade is 1.4%, according to the National Cancer Institute. Mammograms cut your risk of death by breast cancer by 0.5% for women over 40 who have mammograms, and 0.4% for those that do not have mammograms. Dr. Donald Berry, head of biostatistics at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, calculated that a decade of mammograms for a woman in her 40's increases her lifespan by an average of 5 days. However, these are the numbers that get lost in the media rhetoric, according to Gary Schwitzer, the dean of health care journalism. But thanks to fourty years of instilling breast cancer awareness in the minds of American women, most remain convinced that breast cancer represents a real and imminent danger. Unfortunately, there has been a failure to recognize the difference between "cost-benefit analysis" (which focuses on costs) and "comparative effectiveness research" (which considers risks and benefits for patients, regardless of cost). The USPSTF is not charged with comparing the benefits of a treatment to the cost, its mission is to compare benefits to risks. According to Dr. Diana Petitti, "The US Preventive Services Task Force reviewed the evidence without regards to cost, without regard to insurance, without regard to coverage." And for the nativist out there, the Task Force is an independent panel of private sector experts in prevention and primary care, set up in 1984 by a physician then serving in the Reagan administration. The idea was to fund a group that could operate outside of government to review ongoing research and data in an effort to determine how well certain strategies to combat disease actually worked. Obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Peter Klatsky says, "the USPSTF is composed of physicians and scientists whose only motivation is to improve the health and wellness of women nationwide. Being invited onto the USPSTF is a huge honor. These are our best and brightest. They strive to determine what is best for our patients, our community, and our loved ones."