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Testing electrical activity of the heart using an electrocardiogram is unlikely to help doctors figure out who is at risk of coronary heart disease, according to recommendations from a U.S. government-backed panel. The United States Preventive Services Task Force wrote on Monday that there's no good evidence the test, also known as an ECG, helps doctors predict heart risks any better than traditional considerations such as smoking, blood pressure and cholesterol levels in people with no symptoms. "It could potentially be helpful if we had evidence that doing a test like an ECG or an exercise ECG would better classify...

Most women can go as long as five years between cervical cancer screenings as long as they make sure to get both a Pap smear and an HPV test when they do get examined, a government panel said Wednesday. The interval between cervical cancer screenings can safely be extended for women between the ages of 30 and 65, according to the new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Women ages 21 to 30 should still get a Pap smear every three years, the interval currently recommended. But those younger than 21 and older than 65 can skip the...

Transcript JEFFREY BROWN: Men shouldn't be routinely tested for prostate cancer. That was the recommendation today of an influential government panel that looked at whether PSA tests can extend lives by detecting cancer earlier.The tests measure levels of a protein made in the prostate. But the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said they do more harm than good, including unnecessary biopsies, surgery, radiation and impotence. The panel concluded that -- quote -- "The common perception that early detection prolongs lives is not supported by the scientific evidence."Last year, more than 217,000 American men were diagnosed with prostate cancer; 32,000 died...

Health Care: A government task force has decided that women need fewer mammograms and later in life. Shouldn't that be between patient and physician? We have seen the future of health care, and it doesn't work. We have warned repeatedly that the net results of health care bills before Congress will be higher demand, fewer doctors, more cost control, all leading to rationing. New recommendations issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) regarding breast cancer and the necessity for early and frequent mammograms do not convince us otherwise. Just six months ago, the panel, which works under the...

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has released the first gender- and age-specific recommendations for aspirin therapy in patients at risk of cardiovascular disease. Drawing on data from recent studies, the new recommendations conclude that aspirin therapy reduces the risk of heart attack and ischemic stroke in appropriate male candidates, while it cuts the risk of ischemic stroke in female candidates. Both groups are at risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. Daily aspirin therapy therefore should be encouraged in women aged 55–79 years and men aged 45–79 years who have few risks of aspirin-related adverse events and who have potentially large benefits...