Otis Brawley, M.D., chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Health at its hearing focused on a set of new recommendations on early detection of breast cancer by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Dr. Brawley's testimony stressed the importance annual screening for women beginning at age 40, recommendations set forth by the American Cancer Society, and underscored the importance of expanding access to mammography for all women regardless of their ability to pay. An excerpt from Brawley's testimony is below: While we commend the USPSTF for their legacy of evidence-based guidelines for preventive health, we do have some fundamental concerns about the conclusions that were drawn in this update of breast cancer screening guidelines based on the evidence it considered. Unlike the USPSTF, the Society believes that achieving even a 15 percent reduction in mortality (and we believe this estimate of benefit is artificially low), associated stage-shifts, and improvements in quality of life due to less invasive treatment warrant a recommendation of annual screening in the 40-49 population. The Society, along with numerous other medical groups, believes that the available evidence supports the conclusion that screening mammography offers an identifiable and important survival benefit to women in this age group. Click here to read full testimony.
After months of delay and hard negotiations, Congress has finally passed a funding bill! The bill includes a small increase for cancer research and prevention programs.