ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 28, 1997 TAG: 9703280069
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BETHESDA, MD.
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Breast cancer strikes about 180,000 American women each year, and is expected to kill 44,000 this year.
Seeking to end widespread confusion, the government on Thursday recommended regular mammograms for women in their 40s as a way to save lives, and urged women at higher risk of breast cancer to seek moreO customized care.
For women in their 40s who are at average risk, ``it is prudent to have mammograms every one to two years,'' said Dr. Barbara Rimer, who heads the presidentially appointed National Cancer Advisory Board.
Women at higher risk should consult a doctor for more specific advice - because a few may need the tests even before 40, and to determine how frequently to be tested in their 40s, the board said.
Indications of higher risk include a family history of cancer, cancer-related genes and having a first child after age 30.
President Clinton, whose mother died of breast cancer, used the announcement to prod insurers to pay for mammograms.
Many insurers already do. Some 40 states require private insurers to pay, and the White House says Medicaid provides at least some coverage for poor women in all states. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., recently introduced legislation that would require every public and private insurance plan to cover yearly mammograms starting at 40.
But government figures show there still would be a gap because an estimated 14 percent of these women are uninsured. Mammograms cost $40 to $150.
Breast cancer strikes about 180,000 American women each year, and is expected to kill 44,000 this year.
The National Cancer Institute immediately adopted the recommendations, and the American Cancer Society tightened its own recommendations for women in their 40s to have mammograms annually instead of every year or two.
LENGTH: Short : 44 linesby CNB