The topic has been hotly debated in recent years; how often should women get a mammogram? And with all the conflicting information that is being published these days some women are more confused than ever about how to properly screen themselves for breast cancer.

The latest study to hit the web, saw researchers claiming that following the 2009 U.S. guidelines for mammography, which recommend being screened every two years instead of annually, can cause breast cancer to be missed by physicians.

This study was published right on the heels of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine which claimed that mammograms were leading to the overdiagnosis of breast cancer, pointing out that nearly one-third of all patients, over 1 million women, received unnecessary treatment for tumors that would most likely not become life threatening.

The debate pits the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force against the American Cancer Society in their recommendations for women. Up until 2009 both teams agreed that screening should be conducted annuall,y but in their new guidelines published that year, the task force decided to change their recommendation to once every two years for women between the ages of 50 and 74. The Cancer Society stands by their recommendation of annual cancer screenings.

The latest study conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Arleo and a team of researchers found evidence that annual screening is still vitally important for women and that regular mammograms are responsible for detecting 20% of cancer cases. Arleo issued a statement to accompany her findings saying: “Our findings favor the American Cancer Society recommendations. Women over 40 should have annual mammograms. In my book there’s no confusion. I tell my patients, I tell my friends, and I tell my mother to get annual mammograms.” She went on to say that she hopes these finding will “quell some of the confusion” that has erupted of late.

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According to a new study, almost one third of all tumors discovered in mammograms would not have led to illness and are leading to an overdiagnosis of breast cancer in over one million women in America alone.

The report goes on to say that it is the improvement in cancer treatment not increased screenings that has led to an increase in breast cancer survival rates. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that the screenings, which discover tumors when they are still extremely small, have led to and overdiagnosis on nearly 70,000 women each year and caused unnecessary financial and emotional hardship for the women by subjecting them to unneeded treatment. Study author Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, who is an epidemiology and biostatistics professor from Dartmouth College wrote: “Our study raises serious questions about the value of screening mammography. It clarifies that the benefit of mortality reduction is probably smaller, and the harm of overdiagnosis probably larger, than has been previously recognized.”

The study raises a larger issue regarding the increased technology available for cancer screening. The new equipment is able to detect very small groups of cancer cells that would probably never become dangerous, leaving doctors in unknown territory regarding when to treat and when to leave the cells alone.

Regardless of the study’s finding many doctors and health care professionals are accusing the authors of taking part in a campaign to reduce healthcare expenses by cutting back services to women. Dr. Daniel B. Kopans, who is a senior breast imager at Massachusetts General Hospital called the study “malicious nonsense,” and went on to say that: “It is time to stop blaming mammography and screening for ‘overdiagnosis’ and ‘overtreatment’ in an effort to deny women access to screening.”

The authors maintain however that they are not arguing against the importance of screening but say that “the question is whether we should invite women, coerce them, threaten them, scare them to come get checked when nothing’s wrong.”

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Breast Cancer Awareness month is behind us but that doesn’t mean it’s an issue to forget about until next year. Here are just a few of the things you can do to help raise awareness in your community

Get Informed

The best way to raise breast cancer awareness is to become knowledgeable about it yourself. Get informed about statistics, charity events, sites that accept donations, prevention and self-examination that way you can share the information with friends and family.

Buy the Gear

Many organizations sell breast cancer awareness t-shirts, bracelets or decals that you can not only wear proudly, but most places donate the profits made from these sales to cancer research so you will also be contributing to the cause.

Hold a Breast Cancer Research Walk in your community

Raising funds is a huge part of the process in the continuing efforts to find a cure. Recruit friends, family and co-workers to start a walk or look for existing walks in your area.

Reach out to local organizations

Look for local programs that contribute to cancer research and find out how you can help. Hosting a fundraiser is a great way to raise money for research and gives you an opportunity to educate those in your neighborhood that share your interest in finding a cure.

Encourage the women in your life to get checked out

Early detection greatly increases the chance of survival. Talk to your friends and family and encourage them to perform regular self-exams and go to the doctor for regular screenings.

Create a website

Start your own breast cancer awareness website that lists useful information like where to donate money, where to get a cancer screening and any upcoming fundraising events. If a website is too intimidating, take to your social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter to keep your friends posted about you awareness activities.

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October was “Breast Cancer Awareness” month, a time each year when celebrities speak out about their own struggles with the terrible disease. Here are just a few of the celebrities that have helped raise awareness and continue to push for a cure for an illness that will affect 1 in 8 women at some point in their lives.

Wanda Sykes, comedian and actress, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 and while her type was non-invasive the funny women still decided to have a double mastectomy. Sykes has been very honest about her own struggles saying that while at first “I was miserable…I made my decision because I love life,” siting her twin children as a major reason for getting healthy.

Singer Sheryl Crow has taken up the breast cancer awareness cause in a major way since her own diagnosis back in 2006. She donates regularly to the Sheryl Crow Imaging Center that focuses on early detection efforts and in 2008 donated $73.6 million to the research efforts of Stand Up to Cancer. Her latest efforts include a new cookbook that features cancer fighting foods called “If It Makes You Healthy.”

E! News anchor and reality show star, Giuliana Rancic announced last October that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had to have a double mastectomy. Since her ordeal she has spoken often about how the diagnosis changed her and the lives of the people around her. She has become passionately involved with a group called Do It For The Girls, which works to educate women on how to conduct self-examinations in the hopes of detecting the illness early on.

Elizabeth Hurley, model and actress, was in New York last month and did the honors of lighting the Empire State building pink, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The star is also a representative for Estee Lauder’s Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, a group that has raised millions of dollars through the sale of their line of pink products for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

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Allyn Rose, The 24-year-old Miss America contestant out of Washington, D.C told People magazine that she has elected to have a double mastectomy. Rose has said that she is predisposed to developing breast cancer, the same disease that took her mothers life at a young age and has affected most of the women in her family as well.

“My mom had her right breast removed at 27, but at 47 or 48, it came back in her left breast,” she says. “It was already stage three. She could have had that other breast removed, but I’m sure there was a part of her that thought she didn’t want to give up this other part of herself.”

Rose has said that her father begged her mother to have her other breast removed, but could not convince her to do so. Being a mother herself, Rose has elected to not take any chances and wants to be there for her kids, knowing how much of her own life her mother missed out on.

“I had to become my own mentor. I had to go pick out my prom dress by myself. I had to go to my high school graduation without my mom,” she said. “She didn’t see me go off to college or go on my first date or drive a car for the first time.”

Many doctors that she consulted with said they were reluctant to operate since she was so young and has shown no signs of cancer just yet, but Rose decided it was not worth the risk and wants to have the surgery.

“Your skin may be damaged in a way that you will lose your nipple, or sometimes women lose all of their breast tissue,” she said. “Breasts don’t define your life. I’m choosing life over beauty. I’m choosing to remove something that’s so iconic to my womanhood.”

The news comes just weeks after reality television celebrity Sharon Osbourne revealed her double mastectomy.

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Talk show host Sharon Osbourne revealed in an interview this week that she underwent a double mastectomy last summer after learning that she carried a gene that predisposed her to breast cancer. Osbourne, aged 60, said that the decision was a “no brainer.” “As soon as I found out that I had the breast cancer gene, I thought: ‘The odds are not in my favor.’” The health scare began when Osbourne had to receive treatment for a leaking breast implant, she told England’s Hello! Magazine. “For me, it wasn’t a big decision. I want to be around for a long time and be a grandmother to Pearl.” Pearl is the daughter of Sharon’s son Jack Osbourne who recently revealed his own health issues with multiple sclerosis. Sharon claims that the decision was an easy one for her saying; “It’s not ‘pity me,’” it was “a decision I made that’s got rid of this weigh that I was carrying around.”

This is not the first run in with cancer for the famous wife of musician Ozzy Osbourne, 10 years ago Sharron underwent treatment for colon cancer. Despite the health issues she’s faced she’s not allowed it to slow down her career. Osbourne keeps herself busy these days as cohost of the daytime talk show “The Talk” created by former “Roseanne” star Sara Gilbert. Since 2010 the show has been a regular part of the CBS Daytime lineup. She also works as a music manager and promoter. She was instrumental in her husband Ozzy’s return to mainstream popularity through the creation of the touring festival Ozzfest and has successfully managed bands such as The Smashing Pumpkins and Motorhead. She has also appeared as a judge on both “The X  Factor” and “America’s Got Talent” and brought her family fame and notoriety on their own reality series “The Osbournes.”

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