This month's cover photo shows cancer of the breast-a disease that afflicts approximately one in eight U.S. women during her lifetime. Screening is crucial for the early detection of breast cancer in its most treatable stages.

This month's cover photo shows cancer of the breast-a disease that afflicts approximately one in eight U.S. women during her lifetime. Photo (C) Istock.

However, recent changes to screening guidelines from three of the nation's leading organizations, all of which vary in their recommendations, have led to uncertainty among health care providers and patients about which guidelines to follow.

As discussed in this month's CE article, the guidelines from the American Cancer Society, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network lack consensus on when screening should begin, how frequently it should be conducted, and which screening modalities to use.

Given the discrepancies among these recommendations, how can nurses help patients at both average and elevated breast cancer risk make informed decisions about screening?

Read "Breast Cancer Screening: A Review of Current Guidelines" to learn more about the factors that drive the various recommendations, and for an overview of the evidence behind them.-Diane Szulecki, editor