Susan G. Komen: Women Should Have Access to, Cover for, Mammography

World’s Largest Breast Cancer Organization Reiterates that Screening Should Be Based on Individual Risk and is Decision for Women and their Health Care Providers

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The Susan G. Komen® breast cancer organization today said that all women should have access to regular mammograms when they and their health care providers decide that it is the right time for screening based on individual risk for breast cancer, and that the screening tests should be covered by third-party payers such as insurance companies and government programs

Komen’s statement came following the release of new American Cancer Society (ACS) screening guidelines, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In the guidelines, ACS raised its recommended age for annual screening mammograms from 40 to 45 for women of average risk for breast cancer, with biennial mammography for women 55-74. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) also has drafted guidelines that would raise the recommended age for regular mammography to 50 for women of average risk.

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