Griffith blasts panel’s advice to delay, reduce frequency of mammograms

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November 18, 2009

Anonymous The News Courier Wed Nov 18, 2009, 12:03 PM CST

U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith, D-Alabama, condemned on Wednesday the panel recommending that women delay a first mammogram until age 50 and get checkup every two years rather than annually.

“I plan to meet personally with our Surgeon General and fellow Alabamian Dr. Regina Benjamin to ensure that this reckless recommendation is not implemented,” Griffith stated in a press release. “To release a blanket suggestion that delays and suffocates valuable preventative medicine and fails to take into account family history or high-risk factors in American women is irresponsible. Our mothers, daughters and sisters deserve better than that.”

Griffith began his career in medicine as the Tennessee Valley’s first radiation oncologist and opened North Alabama’s first comprehensive cancer-treatment center. He was an early advocate for mammograms and has worked to provide access to these screenings.

“I have been an advocate of preventative medicine for decades, and this recommendation – on this large of a stage – is a dangerous step in the wrong direction,” Griffith stated. “Annual mammograms increase the number of cancers we catch at an early stage and will cut costs for the patient, the physician, our hospitals and our nation in the long run. Most importantly, mammograms and annual exams save lives.”

The Department of Health and Human Services appointed the panel that issued the recommendation.

The National Cancer Institute recommends mammograms for women age 40 and older every 1 or 2 years. Women with a higher-than-average risk of breast cancer talk to their doctor about whether to have them earlier and more frequently.

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Griffith blasts panel’s advice to delay, reduce frequency of mammograms

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