Over the last week I have done a lot of talking and reading about mammograms and screening for breast cancer. Of course being told by a US government task force that routine annual mammograms are not recommended for women under 50 who do not have risk factors can make people like me a little hot under the collar. (Go to http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf09/breastcancer/brcanrs.htm for the full report.) I had no risk factors and my breast cancer was detected first at my annual mammogram at age 41. So, since I have created this little soapbox called a blog, let me just climb up on it and give you my opinion:
The fight against breast cancer does not benefit from this confusing message. In fact, the only beneficiaries of this type of thing, ultimately, are the insurance companies, who’ll take this recommendation and use it as justification to deny coverage for screening. The screening we have now is imperfect, so we need improved technology, not to abandon the technology. Early detection results in better lives for survivors, regardless of the statistics on survival. Early detection through mammography is a vital tool in this fight and should be improved, not thrown out.
Surely the richest, most powerful nation on earth can figure this out. Everyone I’ve talked to knows someone who was diagnosed in her 30’s or 40’s with breast cancer, many with routine mammograms. Yes, mammograms lead to many unnecessary ultrasounds, biopsies, and MRI’s - all expensive. But, sometimes a mammogram leads to a cure: an early diagnosis allows for aggressive treatment followed by a long, healthy, and productive life. The kind of outcome I can expect does not mean we should reduce screening for young women. On the contrary, we should improve it. Surely as Americans, we won’t settle for less.
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