While new federal government findings recommend only giving regular mammograms to women over the age of 50, many physicians plan to stick to the old standards.

A doctor at the OU Health Sciences Center disagrees with the federal government’s new findings on mammograms, saying they are very dangerous and the study is flawed.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force suggested late last month women between the ages of 40 and 49 should not be subject to annual breast exams because little evidence exists that there is any harm or benefit of getting one between the ages suggested. The study also suggested public seminars to help women detect lumps in their breasts are ineffective.

“This is not a smart thing to suggest,” said Dr. Elizabeth Jett, director of imaging at the OU Breast Institute. “We [at the OU Breast Institute] will stick with the previous guidelines and continue to suggest that women 40 and older get an annual breast exam.”

Jett said the task force’s study was flawed on many levels.

“First of all, the task force is a panel of primary-care physicians,” Jett said. “There is no one that specializes in breast health, oncology or radiology.”

Jett said the panel also committed a flaw in the study by studying women who have already been diagnosed with cancer. She said studies should focus on women who do not already have cancer.

“What they did was, they studied how women were receiving preventative treatment in Canada,” she said. “And they used a mix of women who have and have not been diagnosed with breast cancer.”

Jett said she did not have to follow the government guidelines at the moment because they are just suggestions.

“I’ve heard that under the newly proposed health care legislation, the recommendations from the task force will be taken into consideration ... when it comes to what the government will and will not cover, but at [this] time, the American Cancer Society, the OU Breast Institute and many other health care providers will stick with the older guidelines. I don’t know of any health care professional that supports the new guidelines,” Jett said.

Jett said the task force made a dangerous decision when it recommended against workshops teaching women how to self-examine their breasts.

“Most of the time, women who find lumps on their own breast are already in dangerous stages of cancer, and sometimes by the time they discover a lump, it has already spread to the lymph nodes,” she said.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the largest breast cancer awareness organization in the world, recommends all women continue to get annual screenings for breast cancer at the age of 40, but the organization will focus more on getting more women access to mammograms than the debate over which age women should begin receiving annual exams, Dr. Eric P. Winer, chief scientific adviser and chairman of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Scientific Advisory Board, stated in a press release.

“We want to eliminate any impediments to regular mammography screening for women age 40 and older,” Winer stated. “It is our view, however, that the exact timing of assessments is less important than guaranteeing access to screening. New screening approaches and more individualized recommendations for breast cancer screening are urgently needed.”

Winer stated one-third of all American women do not undergo a regular screening.

“There has been a long-standing debate over the most appropriate age to begin mammography screening and the frequency of screening examinations,” Winer said. “As with all screening tests, the decision to perform a mammogram must include an evaluation of the benefits and the risks of the screening tool, as well as a consideration of patient preference.”