Preserving Scientific Debate and Patient Choice
Lessons From the Consensus Panel on Mammography Screening
- Steven H. Woolf, MD, MPH;
- Robert S. Lawrence, MD
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) convened a consensus conference in January 1997 to examine new evidence on the effectiveness of mammographic screening for breast cancer in women ages 40 to 49 years. After reviewing the data and hearing testimony from experts and advocates, the panel concluded that the evidence did not support a universal recommendation for or against routine mammography in this age group.1 The panel advised each woman to decide with her physician, based on her personal values and risk factors, whether to have the test. Critics denounced this recommendation, accusing the panel of distorting the evidence and misleading the public.2 News accounts emphasized the acrimony among health professionals and medical groups.3 The US Senate passed a resolution repudiating the panel, demanded revised guidelines, and convened investigative hearings.4,5 Finally, in March the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute (NCI) recommended that all women
Footnotes
-
Correspondence: Steven H. Woolf, MD, MPH, Department of Family Practice, Medical College of Virginia-Virginia Commonwealth University, 3712 Charles Stewart Dr, Fairfax, VA 22033 (e-mail: shwoolf@aol.com).
