Commentary ACOG Practice Bulletin July 2017: Breast Cancer Risk Assessment and Screening in Average-Risk Women

Screening mammography reduces breast cancer mortality in average-risk women. However, adverse consequences include false-positive findings possibly leading to benign breast biopsies and patient anxiety. There is also potential for overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Differences in how to balance benefits and harms have led to varying recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the American Cancer Society, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the American College of Radiology/Society of Breast Imaging. These recommendations differ with respect to what age to start, what age to stop, and frequency of screening in average-risk women. Most recently, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have issued updated clinical management guidelines for breast cancer risk assessment and screening in average-risk women that aim to maximize the benefits of screening while keeping in mind the potential harms of false-positive results. This commentary summarizes the clinical management guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Practice Bulletin July 2017 for breast cancer risk assessment and screening in average-risk women. We review evidence of the benefits and adverse consequences of screening mammography and briefly discuss new advances in breast cancer screening with recent technologies such digital breast tomosynthesis and risk-adapted screening.