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GREENSBORO – Debate has fired up after the United States Preventative Services Task Force made a recommendation that women in their 40s no longer routinely get mammograms, but should wait until age 50.

Breast Center for Greensboro Imaging office manager Cindy Strable said she was shocked when she heard the new mammogram guidelines

"We all know people who've been diagnosed with breast cancer at an early age, and that patient has found that cancer maybe by a self breast exam or through their screening mammogram," said Strable.

However, the new recommendations say mammograms and self exams aren't necessary until the age of 50.

"Our fear is that any progress we've made over the last 20 years, we just don't want to see it undone," said Strable.

Since the recommendations came out, phones have been ringing off the hook at hospitals and physicians' offices across the state.

Technicians say they've been swamped with concerned patients wondering if they should even schedule or continue to receive the screening.

But despite the new guidelines, many patients say they'll continue to get a mammogram every year.

"When I go get my physical every year, the next thing I do is schedule my mammogram," said Durham resident Sandry Smith, whose sister was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and found the lump through a self exam.

So no matter the recommendations, she says she'll continue to get checked out.

"As long as my health care says they'll cover my insurance, they'll cover my mammograms, I'm going," said Smith.

Both the task force and the American Cancer Society agree that if you have a history of breast cancer in your family or a direct relative that has been diagnosed with breast cancer, you should go in for your first mammogram in your 30s.

The founder of Greensboro-based nonprofit Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test is also responding to the new independent mammogram guidelines.

Martha Kaley says her organization is solely dedicated to funding research to find an earlier biological test for breast cancer that could essentially replace the traditional mammogram.

But until that time comes, Kaley urges women to continue getting mammograms and perform self exams to catch cancer as early as possible.

“There needs to be a better method for earlier detection of breast cancer. Obviously that's the good thing about this report,” Kaley, the organization's founder, said. “It's unfortunate that everybody has to get in a frenzy about it, but the debate does raise issues that we've been trying to raise for 15 years."

Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test funds seed grants, which are preliminary grants that allow researchers to explore new ideas.