What Do You Think of the New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has turned conventional wisdom about breast cancer screening on its ear with its new recommendations.

The recommendations include:

• Recommending against routine mammograms for women between 40 and 49 years old (This is a "C" recommendation, which has this definition: "The USPSTF recommends against routinely providing the service. There may be considerations that support providing the service in an individual patient. There is at least moderate certainty that the net benefit is small.")
• Mammograms every two years for women between 50 and 74 years old (This is a "B" recommendation: "The USPSTF recommends the service. There is high certainty that the net benefit is moderate or there is moderate certainty that the net benefit is moderate to substantial.")
• Recommending against clinicians teaching patients to perform breast self-exams. (This is a "D" recommendation: "The USPSTF recommends against the service. There is moderate or high certainty that the service has no net benefit or that the harms outweigh the benefits."

The task force also notes that current evidence is insufficient in order to assess the additional benefits and harms of performing mammograms on women 75 years or older, clinical breast examination beyond screening mammography in women 40 years and older and digital mammography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) instead of film mammography as screening modalities for breast cancer.

The task force also notes that "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."

This is a big change from current recommendations. What do you think? Will these recommendations help or harm the quality of care that patients receive? Or will the difference be negligible? We'd love for you to weigh in!