New Canadian breast cancer screening guidelines
Posted Nov 22, 2011 10:18:35 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – New Canadian breast cancer screening guidelines say most women in their 40s should not have routine mammograms because they may cause more harm than good.
The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care says the risk of false-positive results and unnecessary treatment outweigh the benefit of preventing a small number of deaths.
Evidence shows that 2,100 women need to be screened over 11 years to prevent one death, but one in three of them get false-positives. That can mean unnecessary followup testing and in some cases unnecessary surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
The task force also says women 50 to 74 with an average risk of breast cancer should get a mammogram every two to three years. Previous guidelines advised women 50 to 69 to get screened every two years.
Task force chair Dr. Marcello Tonelli says all women should discuss the potential benefits and risks of mammography before deciding whether to get the test.
This year, an estimated 23,600 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,100 will die of the disease.
