Local disagreement over mammogram study

FORT WAYNE, IND. (WANE) - There's conflicting new information about when women should start getting regular mammograms. A government panel of doctors and scientists now recommends most women wait until age 50 and then be screened every 2 years.

They say mammograms done before age 50 result in too many false positives.

Local health experts aren’t offering the study a lot of support, in fact, one even makes a clear case against the study.

"It's disappointing. It sets our efforts back a little bit," said Nancy Ehmke, a Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Parkview Comprehensive Cancer Center .

Local medical workers feel the study could prevent them from finding cancer early, which can be key in winning the battle.

The study suggests most women get a mammogram starting at age 50, instead of age 40.

But Parkview's Nancy Ehmke says that could be devastating advice.

"Year to date, I've sat across about 25 individuals who were younger than 50, who were diagnosed with breast cancer and it was discovered through mammograms," Ehmke said.

The task force's study says there have been too many false positives in the past, but Ehmke says that's not really the case.

"The incidents of that happening are actually pretty small with the technology that's available," Ehmke said.

Despite the information and recommendation in that new national survey, local health networks, like Parkview, aren't changing their recommendations just yet.

"Our recommendations are as they were yesterday, before this study came out, and that is to have those mammograms. I think it's very premature for a woman to cancel her mammogram appointment," Ehmke said.

Despite the study, most national health groups --  like the  American Cancer Society -- still recommend mammograms at age 40. That advice has been in place since 2003.