CPRIT Responds to USPSTF Revised Mammography Screening Guidelines
AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) announced today at its quarterly board meeting that it will continue to support mammography screening for women at average risk for breast cancer beginning at age 40. This comes in response to a recent United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) change in guidelines, which no longer recommends routine breast cancer screening for women between the ages of 40 and 49.
“We are concerned that the new USPSTF recommendations will create confusion and cause women to question the value of mammography,” said Joseph Bailes, M.D., medical oncologist and member of CPRIT’s oversight committee.
CPRIT was established in 2007 after Texas voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 15, a constitutional amendment that authorized the state to issue $3 billion to fund grants for cancer research and prevention programs. CPRIT has begun accepting and reviewing grants for prevention programs, services and research.
“CPRIT recognizes there is debate over when it is most appropriate to begin mammography screening,” said William “Bill” Gimson, CPRIT executive director. “However, evidence shows that mammography does save lives, including for women in their 40s, and saving lives and improving health is at the core of CPRIT’s mission. Until a more precise screening tool becomes available, CPRIT funding mechanisms will continue to support recommendations for its use beginning at age 40 for average risk women.”
Of added concern is that the new recommendations would impede progress towards improving breast cancer screening in populations that have higher mortality rates.
“CPRIT places significant priority on funding programs and services that reach populations who are disproportionately affected by cancer,” said Rebecca Garcia, Ph.D., CPRIT’s chief prevention officer.
Priority populations for breast cancer screening services outlined in CPRIT’s prevention award mechanisms include, but are not limited to, underinsured and uninsured individuals; geographically or culturally isolated populations; medically unserved or underserved populations; and women who have never or not been screened in the last five years.
“This debate highlights the urgent need for research into better risk assessment models, and better screening and detection methods,” said Alfred G. Gilman, M.D., Ph.D., CPRIT’s chief scientific officer.
