New Evidence for Early Breast Cancer Screening - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

Undated (WXOW) - In 2009, the US Preventative Task force recommended against breast cancer screening for women aged 40 to 49.

It said the risks outweigh the small potential benefit in younger women, but a new study in the "Annals of Internal Medicine" says these women would benefit from screening the latest turn in the see-saw debate over detecting breast cancer.

The study says screening is helpful for women with a two-fold increase in such risk factors as: having dense breasts, a family history of breast cancer and having had hormone replacement therapy.

The authors acknowledge that false positives can cause needless procedures and increased anxiety, but they say false positives can be reduced by focusing on high-risk patients and using regular instead of digital mammogram's.