WASHINGTON - A new government task force says most women do not need a mammogram in their 40's and should get one every two years starting at age 50. The report also says breast self-exams do no good.

This report is a vast change from what the medical industry, including the American Cancer Society, has said in the past. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American women and it doesn't just occur in women over 50 years old. So many believe the medical community needs to be more aggressive in diagnosing breast cancer, not less aggressive.

At least one cancer survivor is also upset with the report. Maimah Karmo's greatest joy is spending time with her daughter Noelle. But after discovering a lump in her breast at age 31, she questioned whether she'd get to see her daughter grow up.

Doctors told her it couldn't be breast cancer because she was too young, but it was cancer.

"This story is not unique to me," said Karmo. "It's the story of women all over the country."

After beating the disease, Karmo started an organization called the Tigerlily Foundation, providing support and promoting awareness about breast cancer. She says the government task force's report that women under 50 don't need regular mammograms is infuriating.

On the Web

» Lombardi Cancer Center

» American Society of Clinical Oncology

» American Cancer Society

» The Tigerlily Foundation

"It's a slap in the face to all our work. We see these women every day. We're alive because of breast examinations and mammography....because we have the tools," stated Karmo.

Tools like self-exams and mammography have saved thousand of lives, but the government panel of doctors and scientists concluded getting screened so early and often is unnecessary. The panel says while it would save some lives, it wouldn't save enough to justify the expense.

"When screening beginning at 40-49 the benefits are smaller and the harms, that is the false positives rates are higher than when screening at older ages," said Dr. Diana Pettiti with the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

But Karmo says, "There are lives at stake here. When it comes to heart beats, there's no number you can put on someone's life."

The American Cancer Society says it will continue to advise women over 40 to get annual mammograms but the new task force recommendations could influence whether insurance companies will pay for them.

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