Some middle-aged women should not automatically receive regular mammography, a U.S.-based group of doctors says in new guidance.
Women aged 40 to 49 who are at average risk of breast cancer should discuss with their doctors the benefits and harms of screening, as well as the risk of the cancer, the American College of Physicians said in the guidance, released on April 17 in the group’s Annals of Internal Medicine journal.
“Following shared decision making, if a female in this population prefers to get screened for breast cancer, clinicians should then initiate screening mammography every 2 years,” the guidance states.
Women aged 50 to 74 who show no symptoms and are deemed at average risk for breast cancer should receive mammography on a biennial basis, the group recommends….