Truth Behind the New Mammogram Recommendations

Recently, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommended women, 40 years and younger, need not receive yearly mammograms. They also advised against self-breast examinations for these particular women. I have been a Registered Nurse for 11 years and have taken care of numerous women, under 50 years old, with breast cancer. Some of these women, ranging from 30 years old and up, had no family history of breast cancer. Needless to say, I was shocked at this new recommendation. I decided to find out who the U.S. Preventative Task Force are and what made them experts in deciding what preventative test american women should take. Before I discuss the U.S. Preventative Task Force, let me give you some statistics.

Yearly, approximately 230,000 women, in the United States, are diagnosed with breast cancer. Approximately 50,000 are below the age of 50. Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of death in women. Also, 70 percent of breast cancer lumps are discovered by women during self breast examinations.

If 50,000 American women, under the age of 50, are diagnosed with breast cancer yearly and 70 percent of breast cancer lumps are discovered by women during self breast examinations, why would the U.S. Preventative Services recommend not having mammograms and self breast exams. If women, in their 30's, with undetected breast cancer, wait until 50 to have a mammogram or do self breast exams, the cancer would be so advanced, they would surely die. Either they want women to die or money is involved.

Let's take a look at who this task force is and where they came from. The U.S. Preventative Task Force is an independent panel of private sector experts in prevention and primary health care. They evaluate benefits of individual services and makes recommendations about these services. They are sponsored by The Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality.

The Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality is part of the U.S. Federal Government under the Department of Health and Human Services. This agency is funded by our tax dollars.

This task force relies on the government to fund them. The government has no money. Now, all of a sudden, mammograms aren't needed until age 50. Let's read between the lines, someone sold the american women out, either the government or the Preventative Services Task Force.

The American Cancer Society, who are also experts, states, "Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since the year 1990, with larger decreases in women less than 50 years of age. These decreases are believed to be the result of earlier detection, through screening and increased awareness (self breast exams)." Now who would you believe, the government or the real experts. Let's let the government cut funding somewhere else.