u.s. preventive services task force

New recommendations from the USPSTF advise that women get biannual mammograms starting at age 40 to detect breast cancers.

Health & Safety

If you're 40, it's time to start mammograms, according to new guidelines

4:07pm May 09, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

The influential U.S. Preventive Task Force issue a draft of its new breast cancer screening guidelines. They're now recommending women start younger, amid a rise in breast cancer rates.

The recommendations say physicians should look for these risk factors: "a history of depression, current depressive symptoms (like persisting hopelessness, lack of sleep, etc.) or certain socioeconomic risk factors," such as being low-income, very young,

Panel: Doctors Should Focus On Preventing Depression In Pregnant Women, New Moms

4:27pm August 28, 2018

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Physicians are urged to identify which pregnant women and new mothers are at high risk of depression and refer them to talk therapy before they show worsening symptoms.

Dr. Terry Horton, chief of addiction medicine and medical director of Project Engage at Christiana Care Health System, testified about opioid addiction before a U.S. Senate committee in May.

Asking About Opioids: A Treatment Plan Can Make All The Difference

4:57am November 22, 2017

by James Morrison

Is it worthwhile for doctors to screen all the patients who come through the door about their use of opioids? Usually not, but direct connections to treatment can change the equation.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says the risks of screening for thyroid cancer in people without symptoms outweigh the benefits.

Don't Screen For Thyroid Cancer, Task Force Says

4:36pm May 09, 2017

by Richard Harris

A federal task force says the risks of screening outweigh benefits. Many thyroid growths never develop into dangerous cancers, and overdiagnosis can lead people to have unnecessary surgery.

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A common blood test checks for elevated levels of prostate-specific antigens (PSA) in a man's blood, as an indicator that he may have prostate cancer.

Federal Task Force Softens Opposition To Routine Prostate Cancer Screening

2:01pm April 11, 2017

by Rob Stein

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force proposes each man decide with his doctor whether to undergo routine PSA testing, citing recent evidence of benefits and ways to minimize downsides of screening.

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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says there is not enough evidence to determine whether testing people with no symptoms of celiac disease provides any benefit for those patients.

No Need To Get Screened For Celiac Unless You Have Symptoms, Panel Says

5:05pm March 28, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

A task force says people with no symptoms of celiac disease do not need to be tested for the condition, and that people who think they do have symptoms should see a doctor.

A woman's health history and tolerance for different kinds of risks should have a legitimate role in determining the timing of when she starts and stops getting screening mammograms, some leading doctors say.

Why Is Mammogram Advice Still Such A Tangle? Ask Your Doctor

4:43pm October 21, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

Leading physicians' groups don't agree about when and how often women with an average risk for breast cancer should get a screening mammogram. But your history can help guide you and your doctor.

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