The mammogram debate may be have simmered since the uproar of a couple months ago. But confusion among women about when to start getting breast x-rays surges on.

In case you missed it, a federal panel of experts said in November that women should start getting mammograms at age 50, not 40. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said its goal was to reduce the harms of unnecessary treatment.

But critics -- doctors and patient advocates alike -- pounced on the recommendations and groups such as the American Cancer Society said women in their 40s should still get the screening tests. Maryland's own Sen. Barbara Mikulski even got a provision written into the health care bill on the issue.

So, what to do?

If you live in the Baltimore area, Anne Arundel Medical Center will host a free community forum on breast imaging Monday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the seventh floor of its Health Sciences Pavilion. Here are more details. During the forum, a breast surgeon, a radiologist and an oncologist, will offer their thoughts on the controversy.

The issue is far from settled. Screening has its downsides, argues a pair of pieces in the Journal of the American Medical Association. One, by Dr. Steven Woolf of Virginia Commonwealth University, notes the task force's recommendation wasn't calling for a ban of mammograms for women in their 40s, but rather advising doctors to discuss the matter with their patients to come to a decision on whether to screen. And ultimately, the decision rests with the patient, offers this doc. 

Chicago Tribune photo