Video: American Cancer Society Changes Breast Care Guidelines, What Does This Mean?

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – New guidelines issued by the American Cancer Society suggest less screening for breast cancer is better than more.

The guidelines say women should wait an extra five years before getting their first mammogram.

Many breast cancer patients do not agree, as early detection is often the key to survival.

Cherraye Oats is at the Center for Breast Health and Imaging to get her results from a recent mammogram.

A few months ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

” Carcinoma Sid 2 DSCI, I think is what they call it, non-invasive,” saod Oats.

Breast Cancer patients, like Oats, are shocked to hear the new guidelines issued by the American Cancer Society.

The ACS suggests women should get their first mammogram at age 45 instead of 40 and they can also skip the routine manual breast checks by doctors.

“If a woman younger than me listens to that, then by the time she find out she has breast cancer, she could be in her third or fourth stage. And I wouldn’t recommend following that especially if you come from a high risk family,” said Oats.
While the new recommendations by the American Cancer Society have caused some mixed emotions among breast cancer patients, doctors at OCH Regional Medical Center say they will continue to recommend the guidelines they have always followed.

“The American Society of Breast Surgeons, the ASBS we call it, is the largest organization of our type as a breast surgeon. And they’re guidelines are the same and have been the same for years, which is we start at 40 with the mammograms through 75. That’s based on research that was done several years ago that showed there was an increased survival rate if you start mammograms at age 40,” said Dr. Travis Methvin, a general surgeon and the Director of of the Center for Breast Health and Imaging.

Dr. Methvin says there is no new research that supports the society’s new breast care guidelines.

The ACS also says mammograms pose a problem when they have a high false/positive rate, meaning women go through a series of tests to find out they never had cancer in the first place.

“We see the patient one on one, we see what breast cancer can do, we see the angst that patients do have if they have a positive mammogram but then the relief they have when I tell them I do an ultrasound and it’s negative or I do a biopsy and it’s negative,” said Dr. Methvin.

Dr. Methvin says the best and most reliable research encourages mammograms to start at age 40.

“Over 30,000 breast cancers are detected on mammograms between ages 40 and 45. That’s a lot of patients that don’t get detected if we don’t start at age 40,” added Dr. Methvin.
Since the American Cancer Society’s changed their recommendations, it is not clear yet if insurance companies will change their coverage policy as well.