First Coast physicians question new mammogram guidelines

By Kelley Luckstein

Joy Fashauer was just following her doctor’s orders when she got her first mammogram.

“My doctor just said, 'You’re 40. You’d better start your mammograms,’” she said.

Nine years later, the Southside woman is a staunch supporter of mammography, even though the screening method failed to detect a lump in her right breast two years ago…

An influential group, however, suggests that isn’t always the case. Most women under age 50 don’t need routine mammograms, according to a report published online today in The Annals of Internal Medicine that proposes an overhaul in breast-screening protocol…

“I think there are many in the medical community who are concerned about that,” said Michelle McDonough, a radiologist at the Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville campus. “We’ve made great strides in this reduction in breast cancer mortality. And we’re afraid that if we prematurely tell those patients not to use those screenings, we could see some of those gains eroded away.”

Florida Times-Union by Jeremy Cox, 11/16/09