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ACOG Supports Annual Mammograms for Women in their 40s

HealthDay reports that the largest Ob/Gyn group – the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) – has issued new guidelines calling for annual mammograms for women in their 40s.  The value of annual mammograms has been debated among health policy and advocacy groups since late 2009 when the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening mammograms only every other year beginning at age 50 because they can result in many false positive results, prompting unnecessary biopsies and additional tests. A key factor in the ACOG recommendation is the shorter "sojourn time" -- the time period in which a breast cancer can be detected by a mammogram while it is still very small and before it gets big enough to cause symptoms -- among younger women. Women aged 40 to 49 have a sojourn time of 2 to 2.4 years, the guidelines said, while those ages 50 to 59 have a sojourn time of 2.5 to 3.7 years, and women 70 to 74 have a sojourn time of 4 - 4.1 years.  Click to read the full article.