One in eight American women is at risk of developing breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

Breast cancer is also the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Kentucky.

Screening guidelines have changed in recent years.

Our Dr. Wayne Tuckson sits down with Dr. Jeff Hargis to cut through the confusion.

I want to talk about a subject that has absolutely no controversy associated with that and that screening.

Yes.

So, yeah.

That's what we could do the whole show on.

Yeah.

Mammography.

Where are we.

With?

Well, that's that's the more controversial one that could go on for hours and hours.

So I think the main controversy has been do we start at 40 or do we start at 50?

I think a lot of that's very confusing, confusing to patients, unequivocal, worldwide consensus.

There is a benefit over age 50.

Mm hmm.

Probably stopping at age 70 to 75.

Unless there's a family history or a prior history of cancer.

I assume that means if nothing serious.

So the controversy in the 40 year olds is the mammography is much more difficult to interpret because the breast tissue in younger women is thicker, more dense and difficult to determine what's positive and what's negative.

I mentioned the low risk between your 40th and 50th birthday of getting breast cancer is only about 1.5%.

If you do a mammogram on every 40 year old for ten consecutive years until their 50th birthday.

Most of the women will have one possibly more callbacks or biopsies.

Yes.

And the there's stress with that.

That's not having to wait to come back two weeks to get the second study done and then three weeks after that for a biopsy and then two weeks for that to come back.

Yeah, that's a downside.

Yeah.

And what isn't clear in the data is how much long term benefit we get to that.

Was that really impact on getting earlier stage of breast cancer?

And the data that is kind of mixed.

Mm hmm.

In our friends overseas in Europe and their socialized medical systems, they don't they won't pay for anything over 50.

Mm hmm.

But I think when women getting between 40 and 50, certainly if you have a family history.

Absolutely.

Can you wait till 50 with no family history and try to focus on those diet and lifestyle issues?

You know, that's certainly a reasonable decision and something they'll always say when you read about it that, you know, the doctor should talk about it with the patient.

While the poor primary care physician and gynecologist, they have long and busy days to go over that in fine detail.

But I think that's still the proper way to put it.

Okay.

Some important information There you can see doctor toxins.

Full interview on this weekend's edition of Kentucky Health, which airs on Sundays at 1:30 p.m. Eastern, 1230 Central right here on KCET.