NCAB Considers Mammography Screening Issues; Forms Working Group

Extract

The emotional wake following the January decision of a National Institutes of Health consensus development conference panel not to recommend across the-board mammography screening for women in their 40s may be showing signs of subsiding.

The National Cancer Advisory Board began a measured discussion of the panel's findings and the data supporting their conclusion. At the end of a 2-hour session, Feb. 25, the NCAB decided to form a smaller Working Group of board members to develop clear recommendations to the National Cancer Institute.

What Is the Message?

The recommendations will consist of what message NCI should communicate to women and health care providers and what educational products are needed to facilitate informed decision making. In addition,the board will consider whether there should be a formal structure to systematically monitor the data from the large-scale screening trials that form the scientific basis of screening decisions or recommendations. The board intends to complete the process within 2 months.