(November 22, 2009)—Dr. Bernadine Healy, former director of the National Institutes of Health, said Sunday on “Fox News Sunday” that women should follow existing guidelines for mammograms, but should pay attention to new recommendations for cervical cancer screening.

Last week, a federal task force said earlier and regular mammograms produce too many false positives and recommended against routine mammography in women from 40 to 49.

It also recommended biennial rather than annual mammography for women 50 to 74 and recommended against teaching breast self-examination, saying adequate evidence suggests that self-examination does not reduce breast cancer mortality.

Healy says the existing guidelines are proven, however.

"I think (women) should stick with the existing guidelines that come out of the medical professional organizations and have been in place for a long time, which is start your screening at age 40; if you are concerned about a risk, maybe a baseline of 35; and then have it done every year in your 40s. You might go to every other year in your 50s,” she said.

Healy says new Pap smear guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists are worth paying attention to, however.

The group issued new guidelines for Pap smears, saying that having the tests every two years is enough to catch slow-growing cervical cancer in women under 30.

Previous guidelines called for annual testing.

The new guidelines also say that routine Pap screening should begin at age 21.

Previously, ACOG had urged a first Pap either within three years of first sexual intercourse or at age 21.

Pap smears can detect pre-cancerous changes in the cervix in time to prevent invasive cancer.

Widespread use has halved cervical cancer rates in the U.S. in recent decades.

“I think the new recommendations that came out of the ACOG, or the American society of OB-GYNs, are very responsible and reasonable, because we understand cervical cancer,” she said.

“We know when it starts. It's a sexually transmitted disease. It takes a while to turn into cancer. You don't just get that infection and suddenly get cancer,” she said.