Sayer Ji

In a move that could negatively impact the overall health of women over 40, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released new draft recommendations on Tuesday urging all women to undergo x-ray mammography breast screenings every other year, starting at 40 instead of 50, as previous guidelines from 2016 recommended.

… While their conclusion makes bold claims for the “life saving” health benefits of starting mammography screenings at 40 years of age instead of 50, glaring flaws in both their reasoning and study design are apparent … In other words, the carcinogenic effects of x-ray mammography radiation on women whose breasts are screened were not considered. Neither was the well-known greater susceptibility to radiation-induced breast cancer among women who possess the so-called breast cancer susceptibility genes …

Image: National Cancer Institute @ Unsplash