The Who/When/Why of New Screening Mammography Guidelines - Part 1 of 3

You may or may not have heard that new screening mammography guidelines for women in BC were released on February 4th. These changes came as a result from recent studies that identified limitations and benefits of screening mammography that women should consider. This will be my first post in a series of three talking about the guidelines and mammography.  For some time now there has been a lot of confusion around the who/when/why of screening mammography. Mammography saves lives and currently only about 52% of the eligible population participates in the program. I hope, as we eliminate confusion surrounding the issue, that more women go for their mammograms. In this post I'll explain what the new guidelines mean to the women of BC. The full press release can be found here.

WHO AND WHEN? - The chart below helps to breakdown the guidelines in a way that is easy to follow (I hope).

Essentially, the revisions to the guidelines make screening mammography available to women from age 40-74 every two years. I am thrilled that screening remains available to women in their 40's. The exception to this is for women of higher than average risk, as you can see in the chart, they will be screened annually. The benefit of this is personalized screening designed to fit each woman based on her situation.

You'll note that beneath the average risk women who are between 40-49, as well as for 75+, there is a recommendation (but not a requirement) to discuss the benefits and limitations of screening mammography with your health care provider. This is important and here's why:

WHY? (Benefits) - We know that mammograms help find cancer in its earliest stages when there are more treatment options, often less invasive treatment options and better survival rates. Mammograms are currently our most effective tool for early detection of breast cancer. Routine mammograms can detect a breast cancer approximately 2-3 years earlier than it would be palpable by a woman (meaning when she could feel it herself).

Limitations:
Mammograms are not perfect but they are the best tool we have for detecting breast cancer early - detecting 4 out of 5 cancers. A mammogram does sometimes miss cancers that are very small or in hard to view areas. Mammograms can also be less sensitive in younger women with higher breast density. Following some exams, further testing is required which can be very stressful. Most findings during a mammogram are NOT cancer. Talking to your doctor prior to having a mammogram will help you to fully understand the procedure, possible results and follow up.

Full explanation of benefits and limitations can be found on the ScreeningBC website

In my next post I'll talk about the recommendation for self breast exams and clinical breast exams and in my final of this series of three, I will tell you a bit about my experience with mammography. I hope this post helped you understand the new guidelines. I'd love to hear your comments, questions or concerns any time. Wishing you all breast health!