3 months ago
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However, the top U.S. health official, Kathleen Sebelius, says women should get screened as usual.
It's not surprising there's some controversy surrounding this new recommendation. It goes against what doctors have told women for years. The long standing recommendation is to get mammograms, once a year starting at age 40, more often if there's a history of cancer.
Mattye Willis says she didn't know much about preventative care when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer, in 1974.
"It was a large lump, a lump that was large enough for us to feel," says Willis.
After beating cancer twice and two mastectomies, Willis joined The Witness Project to teach women what she didn't know before she became a 35-year breast cancer survivor.
"Women don't have to loose their breast if we find it early," says Willis.
Willis says she's disappointed by the new U.S. Preventative Services Task Force Recommendation that women wait until they're 50 to get regular breast cancer screenings.
Willis sees it as a giant step backwards, and Arkansas Oncologist Omer Khalil M.D. agrees.
"What do we tell women who end up with breast cancer in this age group and we know that there are quite a few cases and that's what we see in our practice," says Khalil.
He says for now, he'll continue to follow the widely accepted guidelines that women forty and over get annual screenings.
"Now if it's an insurance issue, they need to say it."
private insurance provider QualChoice's CEO Michael Stock says no , at least, not for his customers.
"We're not going to be making any changes in how we're administering our coverage at this point we're still cover preventative mammograms for women from age 40 on up," says Stock.
Willis says ultimately she hopes medical guidelines for women will support what's best for women.
"We take care of everybody else, why can't they take care of us," asks Willis?
Area hospitals say patients are asking more questions, however, Baptist Medical Center, UAMS and St. Vincent's say women are still making just as many mammogram appointments as before.
Several groups including the American Cancer association and the Susan G. Komen Foundation are not changing their recommendations.
