US News

Feds nix mammo slammo

The Obama administration yesterday all but disowned the federally commissioned study recommending that women put off getting mammograms until age 50.

“Keep doing what you have been doing for years,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. “Our policies remain unchanged.”

The US Preventive Service Task Force, which is appointed under the auspices of Sebelius’ own department, had suggested that the rate of false positives and unnecessary biopsies prompted by mammograms for women in their 40s outweighed the benefits — even if those benefits included saving lives.

After a huge outcry by doctors, radiologists, and the American Cancer Society, Sebelius said she was prompted to clear up the confusion.

“What is clear is that there is a great need for more evidence, more research and more scientific innovation to help women prevent, detect, and fight breast cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among women,” she said. “Mammograms have always been an important lifesaving tool in the fight against breast cancer and they still are today.”

In New York state, insurance firms are required by law to cover screening for women in their 40s, but some feared the new guidelines would have created pressure to revise such policies.

Some experts say the damage is already done because the confusion of the past few days will cause some to skip mammograms that might save their lives.

“Confusion over recommendations has been shown to result in decreased utilization of mammography,” said Dr. Carol Lee, chair of the American College of Radiology’s breast imaging commission. “It’s like when someone is accused of a crime — even if they are found innocent, people are always suspicious.”

Lee said the Obama administration should evaluate the recommendation process.

“Secretary Sebelius should have come down a little bit harder,” she said. “We need to call into question this entire process. This panel was not comprised of experts on breast cancer, but it does have three members with ties to the insurance industry.”

The American Cancer Society, which has long recommended regular mammograms starting at age 40, said it did not fault the research, merely the conclusions.

“These are smart people, but we disagree with them that the harm of mammograms outweighs the benefits,” said Dave Momrow, the society’s senior vice president of cancer control for New York and New Jersey.

“We are pleased that it appears that insurers will not back away from covering mammography at this time, and the statement from Secretary Sebelius should assure that.”

Additional reporting by Carl Campanile