1. 10/22/2015 Belmont University Mail ­ [TEST] UPDATE: 2015 Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
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Jennifer Lyn Sposito <jennifer.sposito@pop.belmont.edu>
[TEST] UPDATE: 2015 Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
Drug Information Center <druginfo@belmont.edu> Thu, Oct 22, 2015 at 10:56 AM
To: jennifer.sposito@pop.belmont.edu
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UPDATE: 2015 Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
Jennifer Sposito, MS, PharmD Candidate 2016
Belmont University College of Pharmacy
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has officially released updated guidelines to assist practitioners
with determining when and how frequently women should be screened for Breast Cancer.1 There have
been rumblings for several years that previous guidelines, published in 2003, were rather conservative,
and the new evidence­based guidelines prove just that.2
The guidelines specifically target women of average risk, which is defined as a,
"woman without a personal history of breast cancer, a confirmed or suspected genetic
mutation known to increase risk of breast cancer (eg. BRCA), or a history of previous
radiotherapy to the chest at a young age.1"
A summary of the newest recommendations for women with an average risk of breast cancer released

2. 10/22/2015 Belmont University Mail ­ [TEST] UPDATE: 2015 Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/?ui=2&ik=13e17187a0&view=pt&search=inbox&msg=1509043d1a9078c2&siml=1509043d1a9078c2 2/3
October 20, 2015, are highlighted below.1
Clinical Breast Examination
Of note is the, decidedly contradictory, presence of a recommendation against routine clinical breast
examination (CBE).1 Data currently suggests that the number of false positives was increased with
using CBE alone or in conjunction with mammography for screening. The authors did acknowledge that a
large portion of breast cancer is found by self­examination, and suggest that the time of practitioners is
better spent garnering a solid family history and counseling patients to be cognizant of breast changes.
High Risk Patients
The 2015 guidelines do not provide specific recommendations for the high risk patient population as an
update is soon to follow.2 Generally, authors sugguest that women with higher risk should begin
screening at a younger age and perhaps with greater frequency. Guidelines published by the ACS in
2007, addressed the identification and screening of patients with high risk of developing breast cancer.3
Women in this case were defined as being high risk by having one or more risk factor or having a lifetime
risk of 20 to 25%. Risk factors include, but are not limited to, deleterious genetic mutations (eg. BRCA1
and BRCA2), history of treatment with radiation, personal and family history of cancer.
In the end...
The 2015 guidelines do recommend starting annual screening approximately 5 years later compared to
the 2003 recommendations.1,2 Regardless, it is as important as ever to ensure patients are properly
educated about the benefits and risks of self­breast examination and professional screening to ensure
prompt and effective healthcare.
References
1. Oeffinger KC, Fontham ETH, Etzioni R, et al. Breast Cancer screening for women at average risk:
2015 guideline update from the American Cancer Society. JAMA. 2015;314(15):1599­1614.
2. Smith RA, Saslow D, Sawyer KA, et al. American Cancer Society guidelines for Breast Cancer
screening: updated 2003. CA­Cancer J Clin.2003;53(3):141­169. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.
com/doi/10.3322/canjclin.53.3.141/epdf. Accessed October 21, 2015.
3. Saslow D, Boetes C, Burke W, et al. American Cancer Society guidleines for breast screening with
MRI as an adjunct to mammography. CA­Cancer J Clin.2007;57:75­79.

3. 10/22/2015 Belmont University Mail ­ [TEST] UPDATE: 2015 Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/?ui=2&ik=13e17187a0&view=pt&search=inbox&msg=1509043d1a9078c2&siml=1509043d1a9078c2 3/3
*Logo used with permission from Sarah Bynum, American Cancer Society. October 20, 2015.
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