Majority of physicians urge regular mammograms | Dr. Ulissey
Published 4:31 pm Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Q. I was chatting with a patient about the American Cancer Society guidelines on yearly screening mammography and she asked me if doctors practice what they preach.
A. In the case of mammograms and early detection, the answer was an overwhelming “yes.”
Answering that exact question, a research article was published last June in one of the most respected Radiology journals, “American Journal of Roentgenology.” The researchers found over 98 percent of physicians who specialize in mammography recommend the test on a yearly basis to friends, family and patients. The statistics held up regardless of whether the doctor was male or female. Female physicians 40 and older who specialize in mammography get their checkup yearly and both genders recommend yearly checkups to their patients, family members and friends. As I reflect on why this is, I think it is because we, as doctors who specialize in early detection, see how well our patients do when we identify a small cancer and make it a manageable detour in her life, versus when we care for a patient who has not had regular checkups and now is faced with a poor outcome from a larger cancer that could have been caught earlier. I think dealing with those scenarios on a daily basis drives physicians to practice what we preach.
There is a plethora of randomized controlled data to support yearly mammograms for women beginning at age 40, and I cannot for the life of me understand why the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force makes recommendations not supported by the facts. Maybe it is because not a single person on the force is qualified to read a mammogram. In my December 2014 column, “The importance of mammograms,” the evidence clearly shows increased breast cancer risk and more aggressive disease at age 40, not age 50 as suggested by the USPSTF.
Next month: Thermography and other forms of non-standard breast imaging tests.
Michael J. Ulissey, M.D., is a partner at the Breast Diagnostic Centers of Auburn and Federal Way. You can reach him at Mike@breastdiagnostic.com.
