Breast self exams: Don't bother?
The controversy over a recommendation to get fewer mammograms and stop doing breast-cancer self exams
Mammography of a breast.
(Sygma/Corbis/Pascal Parrot)
A government panel sparked a controversy by saying Monday that women should start getting mammograms at 50, instead of 40, and then get them every two years instead of annually. The group also said doctors should stop teaching patients how to do self-exams for breast cancer, because the practice hasn't been shown to reduce cancer deaths. The panel — United States Preventive Services Task Force — said early testing can trigger unnecessary tests and scare patients by detecting cancers that pose no risk. Some doctors think it's dangerous to cut back on screening. Would cutting back on mammograms and self-exams put women's lives at risk? (Watch NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman discuss the changing wisdom for breast exams)
This will kill people: "If I had waited until I was 50 to get a mammogram, I would be dead," says Stacy Martello in FightPink.org. "I was 42 when I was diagnosed," and had no option but a mastectomy even with early diagnosis. Yes, most women with life-threatening breast cancer are over 50 — but "thousands and thousands" of others are stricken in their 40s. "Isn’t their lives worth a simple test?"
"Wait until 50 for mammograms?"
Eliminating unnecessary treatment will help women: The goal of breast cancer screening should be "to find the cancers that have the potential to kill you, so that an intervention is necessary and can make a difference," says the blog of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. Mammography just "is not as good a tool in younger women" — it tends to turn up slow-growing, non-life-threatening cancer and lead to unnecessary treatment — and self exams haven't been shown to be good at detecting cancer in curable stages.
"The new guidelines for mammography"
Who should women believe?: "I'm conflicted here," says blogger Cafe Kim in CafeMom. I get the numbers backing up the new recommendations — starting at age 40 would prevents one death, but also 470 false alarms, for every 1,000 women screened. But "at the same time I know lots of breast cancer survivors whose lives were saved because of early screening." Given what's at stake, it's unlikely that women in their 40s will feel at ease swearing off mammograms and self exams.
"New breast cancer advice: Skip mammograms in 40s and breast self-exams altogether"
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15 Comments
Posted by Joy, Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 11:51 am I think this is the start of governmentrun health care trying to convince people that expensive tests aren't necassary. I'm in the health care field and I believe in the sooner the better.
Posted by Diane, Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 1:31 pm I have a Feel Your Boobies magnet on my car, and my internist gave me a scrip yesterday for another mammogram. I'm 67 and will probably get annual mammograms even if they have to carry me in, and I'll do breast selfexams for as long as I have hands and boobs.
Posted by James, Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 1:50 pm Now that the govt will pay the price tag, the truth comes out. 470 false positives out of 1,000 tests? All those people whose lives were saved were probably having negligible cysts removed while the only thing being saved was the doctors' airplane payments.
Posted by Rachael, Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 2:23 pm GET READY, FOLKS. Government will TELL you when you can get exams and care, and when you cannot. GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH INSURANCE is BAD for America. The government is showing its cards in this game and it will not be good for us. 470 negatives is nothing compared to the number of lives these tests have savead. I was one of those negatives, and a year later, i was a positive. according to the government, i would not be eligible for the next test for 2 yrs!these tests save lives, and the government should keep its noses our of our health care.
Posted by Tommie, Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 2:27 pm I had my first mammogram at 28, and they found 'suspicious' spots. CANCER. Double masc. thank God i had the intuition to get the mammorgram and my doctor acted intelligently. stats said i was not a candidate for the tests or cancer, but THERE IT WAS, and moving fast. That was 23 years ago. WHO THE HELL is the government to jump in and say who should or should not be tested, and when? get out of my life while i still have a life. NO GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE AND LACKEY 'EXPERT ADVICE.' That one life the docs save might be YOUR OWN.
Posted by Christine, Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 2:31 pm The sooner the better for these tests. Another instance when Big Brother does not know best. The government is weakening their case for government run insurance and care. Get in to see your doctors and ignore this terrible advice. The life you save will be YOURS. This is irresponsible advice from these so called advisors. Bet they don't take their own advice!! Bet their wives, daughters and moms get yearly exams on or before the age of 40!!! Take care of yourselves, because a dead person to this administration costs the govt nothing.
Posted by dr ruth, Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 2:59 pm WHAT KIND OF IRRESPONSIBLE BULL SHIT IS THIS ADVICE??? The government advisors should be ashamed, and fired. DO NOT LISTEN to them! You life depends on getting annual tests!
Posted by come off it, Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 3:14 pm what the hell is wrong with you people? bringing government run healthcare into an article that highlights the ramifications behind the excited fervor of improper self diagnosis. while i may have some personal reservations behind their findings, i do ask that you stick to the subject matter of the article. you all are sounding like crazies and giving dissenters a bad name. all caps only serve to illustrate this point, and your argument is never strengthened by adding an extra exclamation point.
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