Mammogram wars

摘要

A political firestorm sparked last week by new US recommendations on breast-cancer screening could be the start of a wider battle.rnThe US Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that the age at which women begin routine mammograms should increase from 40 to 50. The advice is based on an assessment of risks and benefits, which takes into account the side effects of treating tumours that are not life-threatening. Screening costs were not considered, yet healthcare reform critics have portrayed the move as a sign of the "rationing" to come if government takes a bigger role in the system.