Mammography Guidelines Jolt Medical Field

Nov. 20, 2009 -- The new guidelines on breast cancer screening have
instantly ignited an emotionally charged firestorm among doctors across the
country.
“Physicians are quite divided about this," says Joseph Stubbs, MD, an
Albany, Ga., internist and president of the American College of Physicians.
David Mutch, MD, a St. Louis ob-gyn, says the recommendations from the U.S.
Preventive Services Task Force will not change his practice in any way. “It’s
clearly economically driven and not patient care driven."
Other doctors have taken a step back to study the science. Julie Wood, MD, a
Kansas City, Mo., family physician, says the new guidelines have led her to
re-evaluate her practice patterns. She’s also looking for guidance from the
American Academy of Family Physicians on the screening issue.   
There’s one thing, though, that doctors agree on: The new mammography advice will spark more discussions between
women and their doctors about the benefits and risks of these screenings for
the early detection of breast cancer.
Those talks have already begun, Wood says. “Patients have discussed it.
They’re responding OK, but they’ve had a lot of questions.’’
Stubbs, meanwhile, predicts that the mammography advice will lead to an
"evolutionary change" in medical practice. “I think there will be a decrease in
the number of mammograms," he says. “But we won’t see a sharp drop-off."




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