Olivia Newton-John lets rip over breast exams

Reuters

BREAST EXAM ADVOCATE: Olivia Newton-John has slammed controversial new breast cancer guidelines in the US.

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Olivia Newton-John has slammed controversial new breast cancer guidelines in the US.

The federally appointed US Preventive Services Task Force recommended earlier this week that American women in their 40s no longer have annual mammograms and women aged 50 to 74 have one every two years instead of annually.

It also discouraged doctors from teaching breast self-examination to patients.

The announcement outraged leading members of the US medical fraternity and President Barack Obama's administration distanced itself from the new standards.

Newton-John discovered a cancerous lump in her breast during a self-exam while aged in her mid-40s.

"That's why I am so up in arms that why would they not advocate we do regular self-breast exams," the 61-year-old Australian singer and actress said during an interview on the CNN TV talkshow, The Joy Behar Show.

"It is an obvious thing to do.

"It is commonsense."

The task force pointed to studies that show "the additional benefit gained by starting screening at age 40 years rather than at age 50 years is small, and that moderate harms from screening remain at any age".

Newton-John, who has become a breast cancer activist and is building a specialist hospital in Melbourne, said she feared poor women in the US may suffer the most from the new guidelines because insurance companies may not cover breast cancer screening.

"We have to keep pushing self-examination," Newton-John said.

"If women can't get breast exams, then we have to do self-examination.

"If you find something untoward, go to your doctor and ask for a mammogram.

"What I'm worried about are the poor women that can't get this covered under insurance because I have a feeling that is where it is leading."

- AAP