The list of preventive services that insurers would cover without a copay could grow to include mammograms for younger women and perhaps even vasectomies for men.
A big study suggests that radiologists vary widely in their assessment of density, a risk factor for breast cancer. And density is just one component of breast cancer risk, the researchers underscore.
Largest study to date finds women who have abnormal mammograms but negative results from further tests have a somewhat higher risk of developing breast cancer during the next 10 years.
Leading physicians' groups don't agree about when and how often women with an average risk for breast cancer should get a screening mammogram. But your history can help guide you and your doctor.
The American Cancer Society says new research supports changing the age at which most women should start getting yearly mammograms. But the group's latest advice still conflicts with other guidance.
The four major advice-givers can't agree on when to start or how long to continue. That leaves women understandably confused. And that doesn't make it easy to decide.
Thirty years ago no one uttered the words "breast cancer" in public. Now there's no shortage of information, but the glut can make it hard for women to make choices about care.
A comparison of women in 547 U.S. counties found that getting more women in for screening mammograms didn't lower death rates from breast cancer. More small cancers were found.
Independent reviews said there's no question that mammography benefits women in their 50s and 60s. The reviews also agree that mammograms aren't universally valuable for women in their 40s.
Doctors, it turns out, often don't follow evidence-based guidelines. One result? Unnecessary tests. Scientists who study this contrariness think they know why.