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Article:
Celebrate Every Year After Forty, with a Mammogram by: Angela Butera Dickson Celebrate the month of your birth by having a mammogram - toast your life with this fast, easy and noninvasive test. A first mammogram is a right of passage for most women at forty. 66.9% of women over the age of forty have had baseline mammograms to establish and document their breast health. But 30% of women have somehow missed this important message and it is an especially important one for the Hispanic and Asian communities who have the lowest average screening rates among American women. There has been much confusion and controversy in the media about the benefits of mammography in the last two years. In a Danish study that was released in 2001 researchers concluded widespread mammography screening was unjustified. This study along with the numerous ensuing counter arguments criticizing the studies methodology has left many women unsure of the benefits of mammography. On May 14 of this past year The American Cancer Society released its guidelines emphasizing the role and important benefits of mammography. The panel of independent experts reconfirmed that regular mammography screening reduces breast cancer deaths. Mammography screening is endorsed by The American Cancer Society, The National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed female cancer in the United States. One out of every 10 women will be diagnosed with the disease and '40
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