Revised Recommendations Help Answer Questions
Do all women need an annual mammogram? What about a Pap test? How often should men be screened for prostate cancer?To help the public make informed decisions about cancer detection options, M. D. Anderson's cancer prevention experts review the institution's cancer screening guidelines every six months and, when necessary, update them. M. D. Anderson's latest revised guidelines are now available on the institution's website.
Guideline changes reflect the most recent research in cancer screening and early detection, say Bernard Levin, M.D., vice president for Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, and Therese Bevers, M.D., medical director of the Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention.
New changes made in breast, cervical guidelines
The latest revisions include a significant shift: away from recommending a formal, monthly breast self-examination (BSE) and toward advocating breast self-awareness (BSA), meaning that women should be aware of any changes in their breasts and report them to their doctor.
Another change in the guidelines is related to cervical cancer screening. American Cancer Society (ACS) guidelines state that women who have had a total hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and cervix) may choose to stop having cervical cancer screening, unless the surgery was a treatment for cervical cancer or a precancer.
"But this statement doesn't allow for a periodic reassessment of a woman's risk factors," Bevers says. "We weren't comfortable with that. Because risk factors change, it's not an absolute that every woman in this situation should stop these screenings."
As a result, M. D. Anderson's latest cervical cancer guidelines recommend that beginning at age 30 and depending on risk factors, after three or more consecutive normal findings, a physician and patient may choose to do such screenings less frequently.
"Our guidelines keep the physician in the equation and encourage patients to regularly talk with their doctors," Bevers explains.
M. D. Anderson's cancer screening recommendations often mirror those of the ACS and other organizations. When they don't, it's frequently just a matter of semantics, Bevers says.
© 2007 The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. All rights reserved.
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