(Thumbnail image from The Sydney Morning Herald)

“A government task force is now changing the guidelines for breast cancer screening. Now for years, women over 40 were told to get a mammogram each and every year because early detection saves lives.  Well, now this group of experts is saying that they are not necessarily effective and they can lead to unnecessary biopsies and anxiety.  So now women are being told to wait until they are 50, and it’s leaving many scratching their heads this morning.” (CNN)

New recommendations are out about breast cancer screenings that go against everything that women have been taught. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is saying that screening is only recommended for women over 50, and only every two years, unless a woman is at high risk.

We look at perspectives from Fox News, CNN, ABC news, MSNBC and WCVB.

The FOX News Strategy Room discusses the confusion this study can cause among women.

“Should women continue to have mammograms? Let me tell you.  As of right now, the answer is yes. Nothing has changed....it confuses the patient, and that’s what sometimes gets me really upset about some of the things we see, not only online but also we see on television, on radio, that we have these open debates sometimes and the consumer gets more confused than they already are and I don't think that's fair.  Mammogram is still an incredible tool, it should still be done, and still be considered because it saves lives and helps women, period.” 

CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta discounts the task force and compares it to other cancer societies.

“First, I want to say that this task force is the only big group that is saying this.  There are lots of groups that disagree with it...So Tony, for me as a women in her forties who has to make this decision I look at this way.  I say alright, a government task force on one hand says I don’t necessarily need a mammogram.  On the other hand, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology says I should get one, the American Society for Clinical Oncologists says I should get one, the American Cancer Society says I should get one… I think you can see how that decision weighs out.”

ABC News interviewed guests both for and against the new recommendations.

“I think that these proposed changes in the guidelines represent a drastic step backwards.  These are old studies.  These are old technologies, and the study is using this old information to give future breast  cancer guidelines for screening."

“The issue is a public policy issue…it’s whether it can change the outcome in a sufficient number of women. The issue is not depriving young women of their god-given right to be radiated, it’s lets not give them radiation if its not helping them, and lets find something better.” 

On MSNBC, Dr. Nancy Snyderman explains the science and stats behind the research.

“Let’s remember this is not a government task force in that it's government mandate.  These are researchers from some of the best institutions in the country- Stanford, Georgetown, MD Anderson, Harvard.  What they looked at are the numbers, this is science in progress, and the yield is so low that this cost-benefit ratio that makes people squeamish to talk about.”

Some sources have brought in the issue of insurance. Will insurance companies still cover annual mammograms if an agency like this government-supported task force doesn’t recommend them?

Dr. Daniel Kopans with WCVB TV 5 Boston, says a woman’s choice may now be limited.

“Instead of giving the women the right to decide whether they are willing to take those small risks, the task force is saying that for women under 50, they aren’t mature enough to make the decision for themselves, so we’re making it.”

So, how much credance should we give this new study and should women follow its advice?

Writer: Katlin Chadwick

Producer: David Goldstein