If, after this careful assessment and discussion, a woman’s breast cancer risk is not high, current evidence indicates that the benefit of screening mammography is small. Furthermore, for this age group there is a greater risk of false-positive screening results and consequently of undergoing unnecessary or harmful follow-up procedures. As always, clinicians need to be aware of changes in the balance of evidence on risk and benefit and support women in understanding this evidence. High quality materials to assist these discussions are available through the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care.
Conditions: Breast Cancer
Diagnostic Tests: Screening Mammography
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Sources
- Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. Screening for breast cancer: Summary of recommendations for clinicians and policymakers. 2011 Nov 22 [cited 2014 Sep 25]. Available from:.(CTFPHC)
- Screening for breast cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann. Intern. Med. Nov 17 2009;151(10):716-726, w-236. (PubMed)
- Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. Screening for Breast Cancer. Risk vs. Benefits Poster: For ages 40-49. 2014 [cited 2014 Sep 25]. (PDF)
- Ringash J. Preventive health care, 2001 update: screening mammography among women aged 40-49 years at average risk of breast cancer. CMAJ. Feb 20 2001;164(4):469-476. (PubMed)
- Tonelli M, Connor Gorber S, Joffres M, et al. Recommendations on screening for breast cancer in average-risk women aged 40-74 years. CMAJ. Nov 22 2011;183(17):1991-2001. (PubMed)