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☆ Why some doctors see a downside to notifying women about dense breasts
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-12 | by ( Liz Szabo | Liz Szabo Is An Independent Health | Science Journalist. Her Work Has Won Multiple National Awards. One Of Her Investigations Led To A New State Law In Virginia. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

“I had never seen a letter like that before and had no idea what having dense breasts even meant,” said Mullen, 38, of Andover, Massachusetts. Dense tissue makes it harder to find breast cancer on a mammogram; and that dense breast tissue is a risk factor for cancer. You've got dense breasts. “You cannot counsel an entire population of women with dense breasts with one policy that’s going to be appropriate for everybody,” Pearlman said. Although it’s true that women with dense breasts are 1.5 to 2 times more likely than other women to develop breast cancer, they’re no more likely to die from it.

Persons: Shamma Mullen, “, ”, Mullen, Judith Garber, Mark Pearlman, ” Pearlman, Robert Smith, Smith, it’s, ” Smith, Dr, Hilary Marston, ” Marston, that’s, Nancy Keating, Keating, Garber, Ruth Etzioni, —, Crissy Matos, Matos, Marston, Pearlman, ” Mullen Organizations: Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Lown Institute, University of Michigan Medical School, American College of Obstetricians, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, American Cancer Society, American College of Radiology, Comprehensive Cancer Network, U.S . Preventive Services, Force, Harvard Medical School, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Internal Medicine Locations: Andover , Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Stroudsburg , Pennsylvania

☆ More younger people are getting colonoscopies, a new study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Kaitlin Sullivan | Kaitlin Sullivan Is A Contributor For Nbcnews.Com Who Has Worked With Nbc News Investigations. She Reports On Health | Science | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Colorectal cancer cases have been rising in people younger than 50 over the last two decades. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force isn’t the first group to suggest lowering the screening age. The new study found that colorectal cancer screening among 45 to 49-year-olds remains low overall, but increased threefold following the 2021 guideline change. “One of the biggest predictors of whether you get age-appropriate cancer screening is whether or not you have insurance,” Lieu said. Colonoscopy is the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening, since it can detect not only cancerous tumors, but precancerous polyps that can be removed before they can turn into cancer.

Persons: ”, Sunny Siddique, Siddique, ” Siddique, you’re, Christopher Lieu, Lieu, ” Lieu, “ We’re, Marwan Fakih, Colonoscopy, ” Fakih Organizations: JAMA, U.S . Preventive Services Task Force, U.S . Preventive Services, Force, American Cancer Society, Preventive, Yale School of Public Health, University of Colorado School of Medicine Locations: U.S, of Hope, Los Angeles

☆ Aspirin Can Prevent a Deadly Pregnancy Complication. Why Aren’t Women Told?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Roni Caryn Rabin | More About Roni Caryn Rabin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine support the recommendation, saying low-dose aspirin is safe and not likely to cause complications. Despite all the data, too few pregnant women at risk are taking baby aspirin, and too few doctors recommend it. A 2022 study found that Black women are less likely to be told to take baby aspirin, even when they meet the criteria. In addition, only about one in five families surveyed said they were familiar with interventions like baby aspirin. Having had the condition once, Ms. Felix knew she might develop it again during her second pregnancy, so she decided to take baby aspirin.

Persons: haven’t, Harris, ”, Elizabeth Cherot, “, Allyson Felix, Felix, Cherot Organizations: U.S . Preventive Services Task Force, American College of Obstetricians, Society for, Dimes, Wednesday Locations: U.S

☆ In Reversal, Expert Panel Recommends Breast Cancer Screening at 40
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Roni Caryn Rabin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Citing rising breast cancer rates in young women, an expert panel on Tuesday recommended starting regular mammography screening at age 40, reversing longstanding and controversial guidance that most women wait until 50. The panel, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, finalized a draft recommendation made public last year. In 2009, the task force raised the age for starting routine mammograms to 50 from 40, sparking wide controversy. But now breast cancer rates among women in their 40s are on the rise, increasing by 2 percent a year between 2015 and 2019, said Dr. John Wong, vice chair of the task force. The panel continues to recommend screening every two years for women at average risk of breast cancer, though many patients and providers prefer annual screening.

Persons: John Wong Organizations: U.S . Preventive Services Task Force Locations: U.S, United States

But Mintz also acknowledges that having more places to access PrEP likely will not be enough to substantially increase its use in more vulnerable communities. “There needs to be a couple of levers that need to be pulled for everybody to access PrEP who are eligible to access PrEP,” Mintz says. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)Meanwhile, a pending ruling in a federal appellate court looms as a threat that could more broadly undermine PrEP coverage. “We don’t know what the 5th Circuit could do.”In the wake of the March court ruling, insurers expressed support for preventive services. “Right now, PrEP uptake is quite good among gay white men, but among people of color and among women PrEP access is quite limited,” Dawson says.

Persons: Apretude, ”, Omar Martinez Gonzalez, Sean Bland, we’re, ” Bland, Truvada, ” Martinez Gonzalez, Laura Mintz, Mintz, ” Mintz, Truvada –, AIDSVu, Joe Raedle, Laurie Sobel, “, ” Sobel, Lindsey Dawson, ” Dawson, Torrian Baskerville, Baskerville, ” Baskerville, who’d, Biden, Bland Organizations: U.S . Preventive Services Task Force, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Affordable, AIDS Foundation Chicago, “, Centers for Disease Control, Santa Clara University School of Law, Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National, Global Health, Blacks, PrEP, Emory University, Gilead Sciences, Black PrEP, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Pride Network of, ViiV Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline, U.S, Circuit, Appeals, Supreme, Human Rights, Navigators, Department of Health, Human Services Locations: U.S, Black, Cleveland, Gilead, –, Miami, Texas, Ohio

☆ Expert Panel Recommends New Options for H.I.V. Prevention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Apoorva Mandavilli | More About Apoorva Mandavilli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

An influential expert panel has given its highest recommendation to an expanded menu of H.I.V. prevention strategies for adults and adolescents, a move that will require private insurers to cover the drugs without a co-pay or deductible under the Affordable Care Act. The recommendation arrives as the Biden administration is fighting to preserve no-cost coverage of all preventive services under the A.C.A., after a Texas judge ruled the mandate to be unconstitutional. The ruling was aimed in particular at medications approved for use as pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) to prevent H.I.V., arguing that requiring its coverage violated the religious rights of employers. In the new recommendations, published on Tuesday in JAMA, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force gave its highest or “grade A” recommendation to three medications approved for PrEP.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Affordable, U.S . Preventive Services Task Force, PrEP Locations: Texas, U.S

☆ A Number That Should Guide Your Health Choices (It’s Not Your Age)
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Paula Span | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At her annual visit, the patient’s doctor asks if she plans to continue having regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer, and then reminds her that it’s been almost 10 years since her last colonoscopy. The patient’s age alone may be an argument against further mammogram appointments. The task force gives it a C grade for those 76 to 85, meaning there’s “at least moderate certainty that the net benefit is small.” It should only be offered selectively, the guidelines say. Does she have heart disease? Does she smoke?

Persons: it’s Organizations: . Preventive Services Task Force

☆ When Does Anxiety Become a Problem?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Christina Caron | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Tuesday, a panel of influential medical experts recommended for the first time that doctors screen all adult patients under 65 for symptoms of anxiety. There are millions of Americans who struggle with anxiety: About 1 in 5 adults in the United States has an anxiety disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Having some anxiety isn’t necessarily a problem: Experts say an internal alarm system benefits us in different ways, helping to improve our performance or recognition of danger and encouraging us to be more conscientious. How do you distinguish the protective anxiety from the more problematic anxiety? And, given that the panel did not recommend screenings for older adults, what do you do if you’re 65 or older and have been feeling anxious?

Persons: we’re Organizations: U.S . Preventive Services Task Force, National Alliance, Mental Locations: United States

☆ Appeals court pauses ruling that could end Obamacare's preventative care mandate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Circuit Court of Appeals issued an "administrative stay" of the March 30 ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor of Texas. Administration lawyers said in court filings that O'Connor's decision would affect preventive care for 150 million people. In his March ruling, O'Conner blocked only the requirement that most insurers cover a range of preventive care. The appeal is in the early stages and the appeals court has not yet set a date for arguments. O'Connor ruled that enforcing the recommendations violated constitutional language on how government officials can be appointed.

☆ Breast cancer screenings should start at age 40 instead of 50, U.S. panel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Breast cancer screenings typically involve a mammogram, which is an X-ray of the breast. It does not apply to people at high risk of breast cancer, including those who have a family history of the disease. The rate of breast cancer among women ages 40 to 49 increased by 2% each year on average from 2015 to 2019, according to the National Cancer Institute. The panel said the new guidance also aims to ease the disparities in breast cancer death rates between Black women and white women. Other medical groups, including the American College of Radiology and the American Cancer Society, already recommend annual breast cancer screenings before age 50.

☆ New Mammogram Advice: What to Know
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Roni Caryn Rabin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a panel of experts that issues guidelines about preventive care, has recommended all women start routine breast cancer screening at 40, instead of at 50, the previous recommendation. The panel continues to advise spacing the screenings at two-year intervals, although some other medical organizations endorse annual mammograms. The advice applies to all “cisgender women and other people assigned female at birth” who are at average risk for breast cancer and do not have any troubling symptoms that might indicate breast cancer. This group includes women with dense breast tissue and a family history of breast cancer. The recommendation does not apply to anyone who has already had breast cancer, has genetic mutations that increase breast cancer risk, has received high-dose radiation to the chest, or has had breast lesions identified in previous biopsies.

☆ Health plans could soon reduce coverage for preventive care. Here's what to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Around 100 million people with private insurance got preventive care required under the ACA in 2018, one estimate found, making it the provision with the widest reach. Insurers generally must not impose copays or deductibles on the recommended preventive care. "Many preventive care services are not covered by this decision," Simon said. Health plans will still be required to ensure no copays for many preventive services, including birth control and mammograms, Simon said. Some states have their own mandates, meanwhile, around free preventive care.

More men are being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer that is less likely to respond to treatments, a new study from the American Cancer Society suggests. Even more concerning than the rise in advanced cancer diagnoses is the increased number of prostate cancer deaths. “This increase is concerning and requires a new look at prostate cancer screening,” Tewari said. Essentially, that’s like 16 Boeing 747s crashing.”Black men had a 70% higher incidence of prostate cancer than white men. Declines in prostate cancer screeningIn 1994, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of measurements of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) to be used as part of a screening test for prostate cancer.

☆ Lower prostate cancer screening rates linked with more advanced cancers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Nancy Lapid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe benefits of screening for prostate cancer have been controversial. At individual facilities, higher rates of screening were linked with lower rates of subsequent diagnoses of advanced cancers. But for every 10% decrease in screening, there was a corresponding 10% increase in metastatic prostate cancer incidence five years later, the researchers said. Rose noted that while the USPSTF advice to limit prostate cancer screening has resulted in lower rates of prostate cancer diagnoses, rates of metastatic prostate cancer have increased "more dramatically." A spokesperson for the USPSTF said an update to its prostate cancer screening recommendation is not currently underway.

☆ Kids ages 8 and up should be screened for anxiety, U.S. health panel recommends
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Earlier this week the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that primary care doctors screen all children ages 8 to 18 for anxiety, regardless of whether or not they are showing symptoms. It also reaffirmed that children ages 12 to 18 should be screened for depression, guidance it has given in previous years. From 2016 to 2019, some 5.7 and 2.8 million children were diagnosed with anxiety and depression, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "For older children and teens, screening and follow-up care can reduce symptoms of depression and can improve, and potentially resolve, anxiety," the statement reads. "However, there is very limited evidence on the benefits and harms of screening children younger than 8 for anxiety and younger than 12 for depression."

The recommendation from the independent panel of experts applies to children who aren't showing any signs or symptoms of a mental health problem. The health panel's new guidance represents a final set of recommendations for mental health screening for children. The problem, however, is that there is a dearth of mental health professionals trained to help such children. A second report found that emergency room visits related to children’s mental health rose dramatically in 2020, compared with 2019. But Pbert said that true mental health problems in children can result in excessive behavior changes.

☆ Fact Check-Vitamin D is not 'the most effective medicine against cancer'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

There is no evidence to support claims recently made online that vitamin D is “the most effective medicine against cancer” or that taking the vitamin prevents cancer or lowers the odds of dying from the disease, according to scientific analyses. In a follow-up analysis of the data (here ) , the same team found that taking vitamin D was associated with lower incidence of advanced cancers, but only among normal-weight individuals. If it can be confirmed, they said vitamin D might help slow cancer progression at lower cost than current cancer drugs,“Even if vitamin D effects were modest, vitamin D supplementation at the studied levels is much less toxic and lower cost than many current cancer therapies.”The researchers, however, did not suggest it would be more effective than existing cancer treatments. There is no evidence that vitamin D prevents cancer, or treats cancer more effectively than existing medicines. A large research review found no effect on cancer incidence or mortality from taking vitamin D. A large clinical trial found a possible slowing of cancer progression in people who do develop tumors, and concluded that if the effect could be confirmed, vitamin D might provide a “modest” benefit.

☆ Weekly Health Quiz: Broken Hearts, Anxiety and Exercise
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Knvul Sheikh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

What new guideline is the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force proposing for anxiety screening as Americans struggle to cope with illness, isolation and other stressors like inflation?

☆ U.S. adults should get routine anxiety screening, panel says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. doctors should regularly screen all adults under 65 for anxiety, an influential health guidelines group proposed Tuesday. It’s the first time the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended anxiety screening in primary care for adults without symptoms. “The most important thing to recognize is that a screening test alone is not sufficient to diagnose anxiety,” Pbert said. The group continues to recommend depression screening for adults and children, but said there isn’t enough evidence to evaluate potential benefits and harms of suicide screening in adults who show no worrisome symptoms. In 2020, a group affiliated with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended routine primary care anxiety screening for women and girls starting at age 13.

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