For decades, women have been told that starting at 40, they should get a yearly mammogram. Now, there's a controversial new recommendation.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group of doctors, issued a new report Monday. It goes against the recommendation from the American Cancer Society. Their new study says current guidelines do more harm than good.
"There were women that would undergo false positive exams, unnecessary biopsies and even be treated for cancers that would never have harmed them." says Dr. Jeanne Mandelblatt of the Lombardi Cancer Center.
The panel says women don't need to get a mammogram until they're 50, and then they only need them once every two years.
But not everyone agrees, and some are outraged at what this could mean for women's health.
When the new recommendation was announced, many local breast cancer professionals couldn't believe what they were hearing.
As a survivor and mammographer, Patty Limoges has seen first hand that early detection saves lives.
"I was diagnosed at the age of 44. I just went in for a routine screening... If I would have followed those guidelines, I would have ended up with probably a lump, advanced cancer in my lymph nodes..." says Limoges.
That's why Patty and some other local mammographers say they'll continue to promote early screening and self exams.
"It's upsetting to us. We're afraid that women aren't going to want to come in just because they hear this. And that's not correct." says Cheryl Michalsky, Manager at St. Lukes Imaging and Breast Center.
Until more compelling evidence becomes available, they will continue to follow the guidelines of the American Cancer Society.
"If you wait until you're 50 to have a mammogram, that could be, say 8 years that that cancer has been growing. And that means your prognosis isn't going to be as good as if it was found on and annual basis during those annual screenings." says Michalsky.
Officials with the Siouxland Susan G. Komen affiliate also say their guidelines will not change. They will continue to support mammograms starting at age 40 and every year there after.
