Web Exclusive: ASTRO's Response to the New Screening Recommendations
The United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) have issued two separate screening recommendations for women recently.
Specifically, the USPSTF recommendations suggest women aged 40 to 49 without risk factors can avoid yearly mammography screenings for breast cancer until age 50. The ACOG guidelines advise that women can begin receiving Pap tests to look for cervical cancer starting at age 21 and then be screened every other year until age 30, at which time women should receive the test every three years.
ASTRO is a society of radiation oncologists who use X-ray technology to treat cancer rather than diagnose it. As an organization, we intend to work with our diagnostic radiology colleagues to look closely at the latest screening guidelines and issue a statement of our findings, if neccessary.
In the meantime, we believe that women of every age should talk to their doctors about when and how often they should undergo screening tests, including the Pap test and mammography, as well as other screening tests like the colonoscopy to look for colon and rectal cancers. Your doctor is the best person to help you make these decisions.
We encourage women to ask their primary care physician the following questions:
- Based on my general health and family history, should I receive screening tests, such as mammograms for breast cancer, the Pap test for cervical cancer and the colonoscopy for colon and rectal cancers?
- How will screening benefit me?
- Are there any risks to these screenings?
- Where can I get screened?
- How are these screenings performed?
- When and how will I learn the results?
- Who will explain the results to me?
- Is there anything I can do to lower my risks of cancer?
- Based on my health and family history, would you recommend other screenings?
For more information on radiation oncologists and radiation therapy treatments, visit www.rtanswers.org.