Nov. 30--Tucson's Beat Cancer Boot Camp tonight will host a forum focusing on the new recently-released federal guidelines on mammograms.
Tonight's forum is scheduled for 6 p.m. at 3500 W. River Road, which is a Pima County government building near River Road and North Camino de la Tierra.
The event is free and open to the public, who will be invited to ask questions to a panel of experts, including Dr. Eric Whitacre, who is director of the Breast Center of Southern Arizona and president-elect of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, which is opposing the new recommendations.
The recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reverse existing recommendations that women get mammograms every one or two years starting at 40. Supporting documentation says the harm of screening mammography outweighs the benefits of screening women under the age of 50.
The federal task force is an outside independent panel of doctors and scientists who make recommendations. While it does not set federal policy, some critics worry it will have a strong influence on the insurance market and that women will not be able to get mammograms covered until they are 50.
The panel recommends that only women under 50 who have unusual risks get mammograms, and that women between the ages of 50 and 74 should get mammograms every other year. It also says there's no evidence that teaching women to do breast self-exams saves lives.
Contact reporter Stephanie Innes at 573-4134 or at sinnes@azstarnet.com.
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