{"162001":{"#nid":"162001","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Think Pink: Are Annual Mammograms Necessary?","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMammograms are the only reliable tool for detecting breast cancer at the early and most treatable stages \u2014 unfortunately, the results aren\u2019t always accurate.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMammograms have a high false-positive rate,\u201d said Turgay Ayer, an assistant professor in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. \u201cThese rates are generally 10 percent per mammogram and 50 percent after 10. False-positive results can lead to unnecessary diagnostic follow-ups including biopsies, which can result in psychological distress, wasted time and a reduction in quality of life.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s why Ayer decided to examine the issue of how frequently women should receive mammograms. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe question of who to screen and how often is controversial,\u201d Ayer said. \u201cWhile the American Cancer Society recommends annual screening for women over the age of 40, for the general population, the recent guidelines by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend biennial screening.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing a computer simulation model, the research team examined data for more than 20 million women and estimated the disease progression and effectiveness of screening. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe built a mathematical model that replicated the breast cancer progression and detection rates in the U.S. population,\u201d he said. \u201cThis model allowed us to assess the effects of various screening strategies and find the optimal one among them for a given woman.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAyer and his research team discovered that mammogram frequency should be tailored to the individual based on personal risk characteristics such as age, family history and prior screening history. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cPrior screening history plays a key role in how frequently women need to receive mammograms,\u201d Ayer said. \u201cFor example, if a woman had 10 consecutive negative mammograms in the past, this research suggests that maybe she should consider expanding her screening intervals to every two years.\u201d\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAyer\u2019s future research plans include looking into using a 3-D mammography-based technology known as \u201cbreast tomosynthesis\u201d to diagnose breast cancer. \u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMammograms are the only reliable tool for detecting breast cancer at the early and most treatable stages \u2014 unfortunately, the results aren\u2019t always accurate.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Mammograms are the only reliable tool for detecting breast cancer at the early and most treatable stages \u2014 unfortunately, the results aren\u2019t always accurate."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2012-10-15 12:57:06","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:58","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-10-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-10-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"14455","name":"Breast Cancer"},{"id":"46421","name":"Breast Cancer Awareness Month"},{"id":"426","name":"isye"},{"id":"46431","name":"mammograms"},{"id":"167755","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering"},{"id":"13749","name":"Turgay Ayer"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}