Abstract
Few medical issues have generated as much controversy as the question of whether or not to recommend regular mammography to women aged 40-49 years (1,2). In January 1997, a Consensus Development Panel1 at the National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference on Breast Cancer Screening for Women Ages 40-49 recommended that women be informed of the benefits and risks and decide for themselves whether or not screening is appropriate (3). The National Cancer Institute (NCI) took a different view, altering its previous stance (4) and joining the American Cancer Society (ACS) in recommending regular screening for women in their forties. The NCI recommends mammograms every 1-2 years, and the ACS recommends annual mammograms.