For Immediate Release
April 3, 2007

BUFFALO, NY – On Tuesday, April 3, the American College of Physicians released breast cancer screening guidelines that question the use of regular mammograms for women in their 40s. The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends annual mammograms starting at age 40, but evidence that mammograms in the 40s save lives is controversial. So the American College of Physicians suggest that women and doctors should decide together whether the woman should have mammograms in her 40s. The woman should be told of both the benefits and the possible risks (false positives, more radiation exposure, etc.). If the woman decides not to have a mammogram, she and the doctor can revisit every one to two years. The American College of Physicians supports the use of mammograms in women over age 50.

"This is a confusing message for women and their doctors. The studies on which these guidelines are based are now quite old. These studies, and more recent data using our current higher quality mammograms show that mammograms in all age groups have value in helping to diagnose breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage. Therefore, we at Roswell Park, and as a part of a consortium of other cancer centers, recommend that women have mammograms annually beginning at age 40," said Stephen Edge, MD, Chair of Breast Surgery. "However, one clear message is that we have not solved the breast cancer problem yet. Even the best mammograms only reduce the risk of dying of breast cancer by 30-50 percent. Thus, while we recommend all women over age 40 get mammograms, it is critical to support research that will allow us to identify the women at highest risk of breast cancer and to identify and prevent those cancers."

Coincindentally with the release of these guidelines from the American College of Physicians, last week the American Cancer Society released guidelines related to breast cancer screening in women at a high risk of developing breast cancer. These guidelines are for the use of breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in addition to mammograms. For women who are at high risk of breast cancer, the ACS guideline panel concluded that the evidence shows that mammography and MRI together offer a greater opportunity for detecting early tumor development in this population of women. Women at high risk include those with a very strong family history of breast cancer, especially in young women in the family, a known gene mutation associated with breast and / or ovarian cancer, or some other factors. However, screening MRI is not appropriate or of value for most women in the general population who are not at this higher level of breast cancer risk.

Please click these links for more information about breast cancer or a high-risk screening program at Roswell Park.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment, and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center headquartered in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. Roswell Park has multiple affiliate sites and collaborative programs in New York, Pennsylvania as well as overseas in China. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724), or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.

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