Sometimes new health advice conflicts with old advice. Yet new guidelines for breast cancer testing in the United States created a storm of debate in November. The advice came from experts who are appointed by the government to develop guidelines for preventive services, like mammograms. The experts advised most women to get fewer mammograms. They said the risk of needless treatment outweighs the good from more tests.
The new advice is to get tested every two years, instead of yearly, and to start at age fifty instead of forty. The task force must not consider medical costs. But critics accused the Obama administration of trying to limit mammograms to save money. The administration pointed out that the current members of the group were appointed during the last administration. And officials said the study had begun long before the latest debate on health reform. The House of Representatives passed health care legislation in November. And the Senate agreed to begin full debate on its own bill.
The secretary of health and human services said the new advice would not affect government policies. Kathleen Sebelius advised women to “keep doing what you have been doing.” Some say they worry that health plans might pay for fewer mammograms now. But every state except Utah requires insurance companies to pay for testing women in their forties. There appeared to be less reaction a few days later when a different group released new guidelines for cervical cancer testing.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said the timing was just by chance. The new guidelines say women age twenty-one to twenty-nine only need to get a Pap test every two years instead of yearly. Girls are advised to begin testing within three years of when they first have sex, or in any case no later than twenty-one. A Pap test looks for abnormal cervical cells that could become cancer.
Doctors may remove suspicious growths. But the experts say that in most cases in young women, these growths would go away by themselves. Removing them can lead to problems such as scarring and the need for Cesarean births later. Cervical cancer is highly curable if it is found early. Pap tests have saved countless lives. Today most of the deaths are in countries with poor health care. And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report. For more health news, go to voaspecialenglish.com.
Words in This Story
conflict – n. an active disagreement between people with opposing opinions or principles
debate – n. (a) serious discussion of a subject in which many people take part
preventive – adj. intended to stop something before it happens
mammogram – n. (also mammograph) an X-ray photograph of the breasts
critic – n. someone who says that they do not approve of someone or something
accuse – v. to say that someone has done something morally wrong, illegal, or unkind
legislation – n. a law or set of laws suggested by a government and made official by a parliamen
senate – n. senate noun [C] (POLITICS)
one of the two groups of politicians who make laws in some political systems such as in the US,
Australia, and France, often having different powers from the other group and different rules for members,
for example being elected for a longer period
obstetrician – n. (US informal OB) a doctor with special training in how to care for pregnant women and help in the birth of babies
gynecologist – n. a doctor skilled in the treatment of women’s diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs
cervical – adj. relating to the cervix (= the narrow, lower part of the uterus)
suspicious – adj. making you feel that something illegal is happening or that something is wrong
caesarean – n. (also caesarean section); (C-section) an operation in which a woman’s uterus is cut open to allow a baby to be born
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