Fewer women in Utah getting mammograms

SALT LAKE CITY — Last fall's widely-publicized recommendation that women postpone mammograms until age 50, combined with a bad economy, are likely behind a marked drop in the number of Utah women who are being screened.

Screening mammograms at the six MountainStar hospitals in Utah are down 22 percent on average, while Intermountain Healthcare's hospitals statewide are down 14 percent in January, compared to 2009.

"It's a slower time of year, so we always expect a bit of a slump, but what is different from other years is the percentage of the decline — it's huge," said Dr. Brett Parkinson, medical director of the Breast Care Center at Intermountain Medical Center. "We've never seen that happen before, and it feels like February is going to be the same."

The trend concerns doctors because even before the recent decline, "only 64 percent of Utah women were getting recommended mammogram screenings," Parkinson said.

"Last year we worked on Presidents Day because we had such a backlog of women who wanted a mammogram. This year, we took the day off. We have a lot fewer women trying to get in," says Loy Hunt, a mammography technologist at Logan Regional Hospital.

There has been continuing controversy in medical circles over the guidelines, released in November by the U.S. Preventive Serve Task Force, that annual mammogram screening should begin at age 50, rather than 40, as many medical organizations still recommend. Even Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, issued a statement distancing the department from those guidelines, saying national health policies on breast cancer screening "remain unchanged" and noting there is "a great need for more evidence."

Sandy Osmond, director of women's services at St. Mark's Hospital, said while mammogram numbers there are down significantly, officials didn't notice a marked decline until January.

"Our best guess is it is due to the guidelines, but the economy may also have something to do with it," she said, noting that immediate needs often take precedence over health concerns when money is tight — particularly if the health issue is seen as a remote concern.

Parkinson agreed the economy, layoffs and loss of insurance coverage could be contributing to the declines, but the new guidelines are definitely a factor, he said. "Today, I think we're seeing the dangerous fallout of this confusion. Women will pay with their lives."