Connie Mack: “in 1993, the National Cancer Institute rescinded its recommendation that all women in their forties undergo mammography…”

“in 1993, the National Cancer Institute rescinded its recommendation that all women in their forties undergo mammography screening for breast cancer. Since then, American women have been receiving mixed messages about the importance of mammography. Women are confused. Women are angry. Women are frightened. Given the wide variety of recommendations being made about mammography screening for younger women, one can certainly understand why. The scientific community is deeply divided on the interpretation of data from mammography clinical trials conducted in the United States and elsewhere. Cancer advocacy organizations are split on the proper recommendations to give their members and the public. Physicians want to provide the best recommendations to their patients, but there is no single answer to give them. Insurance companies frequently deny coverage of benefits unless there is compelling scientific data to warrant coverage. Clearly, women want to be more involved in making health care decisions for themselves. But when the medical, scientific, and patient advocacy communities cannot agree on the issue of mammography screening, women are being placed in a situation where they must make, at best, an educated guess as to what they should do to protect themselves from a disease which will kill an estimated 44,000 women this year.”