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New York, 8:05 AM
Sun Nov 22
23 posts in the last 24 hours

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  • posts about #breastintentions more →

    New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Spark Confusion, Criticism

    Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer

    Local News Starts Sweeps Month With Topless Breast Self-Exam

    "It's Not Like I Walk Down The Street Saying, 'I'm The Bra Man.'"

    Cancer PSAs Go T&A (Mostly T.)

    Why Buy A Whole Shirt When You Have A Bra And A Dream?

    Gene Therapy: Companies That Control Breast Cancer Genes Finally Get Sued

    Breastfeeding Bill Protects Nursing Mothers

    Report: Breast Cancer Risk Drops After Stopping Hormone Therapy

    'Indecent' Breastfeeding Photos Still Won't Fly On Facebook
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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Red-headed bookworm Red-headed bookworm
    11/18/09

    In reply to New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Spark Confusion, Criticism
    One thing I wonder is that if they don't recommend mammograms until age 50 and above, at what age are they recommending the baseline mammogram? I'm still weirded out by this recommendation because of my mom having three instances of breast cancer BEFORE age 50 while having no prior risks for it. Shouldn't women still have a baseline mammogram at a younger age for comparison basis?
     Reply
    Red-headed bookworm was starred Red-headed bookworm was unstarred
    Image of SomeAuthorGirl SomeAuthorGirl
    11/18/09

    In reply to New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Spark Confusion, Criticism
    Instead of decreasing screening, what ought to be happening is better research and treatment for what comes after a positive mammogram. Not before. One very important lady in my life died many years ago when a mammogram could have saved her life; one very important lady's life is being saved right now because of one.

    Women's health is NOT the area where industry and economics need to be searching for solutions. How about we quit researching ED for, oh, say two years, and use those billions of dollars to find less radical and more effective treatments for breast cancer, hmmm?
     Reply
    SomeAuthorGirl was starred SomeAuthorGirl was unstarred
    Image of jleigh jleigh
    11/18/09

    @SomeAuthorGirl: I don't think these two things are at odds. Breast cancer gets more research dollars than any other cancer in the world.

    And there has been far more controversy on the screening for prostate cancer among men. I don't think this is necessarily an economic issue and I don't think it's necessarily a women's health issue. Most of our cancer screening is far less effective than we've been led to believe and it's about time we were better informed.

    There will always be stories of people who have been saved through screening. There will be many more who go through unnecessary treatment that can itself cause future illnesses and even put them at risk for cancer. Fortunately, now that we know of the hereditary links of many cancers such as breast cancer, women who know they're at higher risk can get the earlier mammograms. This is a general guideline, not a commandment.
     Reply
    SomeAuthorGirl promoted this comment jleigh was starred jleigh was unstarred
    Image of SomeAuthorGirl SomeAuthorGirl
    11/18/09

    @jleigh: Which is why I'm saying that it's what happens after screening that needs better research, not before. I'm open to the fact that I see danger and conspiracy against women all through the health and political systems. But I also don't think I'm off base.

    Just because we scientifically know more now about the genetic screening doesn't mean it's widely available.
     Reply
    SomeAuthorGirl was starred SomeAuthorGirl was unstarred
    Image of morninggloria morninggloria
    11/18/09

    In reply to New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Spark Confusion, Criticism
    The correct way to refer to a mammogram is actually "boob smashing." Plural is "boob smashings." As in "My mother and grandmother both had their annual recommended boob smashings last week."
     Reply
    morninggloria was starred morninggloria was unstarred
    Image of curiousgeorgiana curiousgeorgiana
    11/18/09

    @morninggloria: May I have the country of origin please?
     Reply
    curiousgeorgiana was starred curiousgeorgiana was unstarred
    Image of morninggloria morninggloria
    11/18/09

    @curiousgeorgiana: BoobSmashganistan
     Reply
    morninggloria was starred morninggloria was unstarred
    Image of Sev Sev
    11/18/09

    @morninggloria: I worked with a woman who referred to mammograms as "getting my pancakes flattened".
     Reply
    curiousgeorgiana promoted this comment Sev was starred Sev was unstarred
    Image of pantsless economist...access RESTORED pantsless economist...access RESTORED
    11/18/09

    In reply to New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Spark Confusion, Criticism
    At least from the NY Times article it appears that the 15% statistic is across all age groups (it'd be nice to see the reduction by age group, dudes)... and the vast, vast majority of that 15% reduction goes to women 50+...and it's women screened for 10 years...starting at what age?

    If women are to make informed decisions about mammograms, the NY Times should at least try to understand and explain clearly the data they use.
     Reply
    pantsless economist...access RESTORED was starred pantsless economist...access RESTORED was unstarred
    Image of linnyt is a walking cliché linnyt is a walking cliché
    11/18/09

    In reply to New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Spark Confusion, Criticism
    I think I'd rather be safe than sorry.
     Reply
    linnyt is a walking cliché was starred linnyt is a walking cliché was unstarred
    Image of TheUptightMidwesterner TheUptightMidwesterner
    11/18/09

    In reply to New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Spark Confusion, Criticism
    Me and my radiologist can take care of my girls just fine, thanks. I'd rather have a false positive and get a biopsy than have them shrug and tell me it is too late.
     Reply
    TheUptightMidwesterner was starred TheUptightMidwesterner was unstarred
    Image of SparklyTempest SparklyTempest
    11/18/09

    @TheUptightMidwesterner: I agree with you completely. That being said, I think more women should be warned at biopsies can result in scar tissue which can feel like a lump. Not as a scare tactic, just as another piece of important information.
     Reply
    TheUptightMidwesterner promoted this comment SparklyTempest was starred SparklyTempest was unstarred
    Image of thesciencegirl thesciencegirl
    11/17/09

    In reply to Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer
    There is pretty conflicting data out there as to the value of mammograms for 40-49 y/os, and for self-exams. This has been a controversy in the medical community for years. Unfortunately, a lot of the big meta-analyses are of studies done in Europe on 97% white ladies, which is not necessarily applicable to the whole population of American women (which I brought up in a med school class, leading to an argument with an old white doc -- sigh). Anyway, the reason why studies like these are done is because doctors are trying to use reliable data to make policies and medical decisions (they call it "evidence-based medicine") -- sometimes the findings of these studies are counter-intuitive, but that's why they're valuable. Just because screening early seems to make sense to a doctor or a layperson doesn't mean that it translates to saved lives. I haven't read this particular study yet though, so I can't comment on the validity of their conclusions. #cancer
     Reply
    thesciencegirl was starred thesciencegirl was unstarred
    Image of Red-headed bookworm Red-headed bookworm
    11/17/09

    In reply to Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer
    This is just stupid. I know I'm biased because of my mom having breast cancer, however, she had NO risk factors when she found a lump at age 42. No one in her family had breast cancer, she never smoked, she wasn't overweight, she ate well, didn't drink much. She found her lump doing a self-exam. She's now had three bouts of cancer.

    I think the one death that they say is prevented for every 1,904 is more than "very little" benefit, especially to whomever that person's family is.

    In essence, fuck you task force and your "findings". These are people and their lives you are talking about. #cancer
     Reply
    Red-headed bookworm was starred Red-headed bookworm was unstarred
    Image of cmharris001 cmharris001
    11/17/09

    @Red-headed bookworm: Right on. This was my exact story this year at age 41. If I had followed their guidelines I'd be dead before my first mammogram. Thanks task force! Statistics are real people.
     Reply
    la.donna.pietra promoted this comment hortense approved this comment cmharris001 was starred cmharris001 was unstarred
    Image of GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11) GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11)
    11/17/09

    In reply to Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer
    They just interviewed someone from the task force on the Today Show about this. She wanted to stress that not doing routine mammograms is not about saving money, but is rather a way to divert money to discover and implement more effective screening strategies. So, from now on every time an insurance company denies a 45 year old a mammogram because it changed its coverage based on this report, it is going to cut a check to medical research groups? Maybe it would be better to continue getting mammograms until there actually IS a better screening method. #cancer
     Reply
    GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11) was starred GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11) was unstarred
    Image of jemandtheholograms jemandtheholograms
    11/17/09

    In reply to Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer
    From what I've heard, getting a mammogram is pretty painful, and assuming you have a false positive, it's a semi-invasive procedure, so maybe cutting back testing for those not at a higher risk could be a good thing. More testing does not always equal better medicine.

    Of course, if every woman in your family has had breast cancer, this does not apply. #cancer
     Reply
    jemandtheholograms was starred jemandtheholograms was unstarred
    Image of fauxfruit fauxfruit
    11/17/09

    @jemandtheholograms: Not to mention that an invasive procedure on non-cancerous tissue can cause irritation that might lead to other problems. Or in my grandmother's case, every time she has a new doctor perform a mammogram they find a lump, that has been there for ages, and they insist they need to do a biopsy, and she has to insist that it's been there for 40 years and has never grown. It's a battle every time. Sometimes if cells are more likely to turn into cancerous cells, like benign tumor cells, irritating them can induce more growth. #cancer
     Reply
    jemandtheholograms promoted this comment fauxfruit was starred fauxfruit was unstarred
    Image of Blueberry26 Blueberry26
    11/17/09

    @jemandtheholograms: My mom fainted in her first mammogram. I am officially terrified. #cancer
     Reply
    jemandtheholograms promoted this comment Blueberry26 was starred Blueberry26 was unstarred
    Image of jemandtheholograms jemandtheholograms
    11/17/09

    @Blueberry26: Getting your boob squished doesn't sound like fun. I mean, I'll do it for the sake of my health, but if it's not really necessary, then count me out. #cancer
     Reply
    jemandtheholograms was starred jemandtheholograms was unstarred
    Image of LadySoprano is a Fat-Fighting Superwoman LadySoprano is a Fat-Fighting Superwoman
    11/17/09

    In reply to Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer
    By this logic, should we also stop using store-bought pregnancy tests? I mean, all those false-positives cause so much anxiety and stress.

    **Said with tongue in cheek** #cancer
     Reply
    LadySoprano is a Fat-Fighting Superwoman was starred LadySoprano is a Fat-Fighting Superwoman was unstarred
    Image of Shawn-Shawn Shawn-Shawn
    11/17/09

    @LadySoprano is a Fat-Fighting Superwoman: This made me lolz, but also---interesting fact. No such thing as a false positive on a pregnancy test. My sister is a nurse who's worked in infertility for years, and has told me many times that, while you can get a false negative, it's pretty much impossible to get a false positive. #cancer
     Reply
    Her Grace promoted this comment Shawn-Shawn was starred Shawn-Shawn was unstarred
    Image of Skellatrix Skellatrix
    11/17/09

    In reply to Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer
    I never do the self-exams anyway. And I'm always honest with my gyn about never doing them and she never criticized me about it. So, yay? #cancer
     Reply
    Skellatrix was starred Skellatrix was unstarred
    Image of morninggloria morninggloria
    11/17/09

    In reply to Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer
    Does this mean that I can no longer lay around and sort of aimlessly feel myself up under the guise of breast cancer prevention? #cancer
     Reply
    morninggloria was starred morninggloria was unstarred
    Image of GirlFailer GirlFailer
    11/17/09

    @morninggloria: Wait, what am I supposed to do with my Friday nights now? #cancer
     Reply
    GirlFailer was starred GirlFailer was unstarred
    Image of o-line o-line
    11/17/09

    @morninggloria: Now it can be a form of protest against insurance companies that will not cover medical exams for younger women. #cancer
     Reply
    o-line was starred o-line was unstarred
    Image of girlscoutcookie is back from hiatus girlscoutcookie is back from hiatus
    11/17/09

    In reply to Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer
    IRT self-exams: women DO know they don't work. At least this woman does. My gyn (who is awesome) already told me I don't need to do them unless I have pain. Of course, I see her once a year, and get a physical besides. I'm not sure we should be discouraging women who may not have regular health care from paying as much attention as possible to their bodies. #cancer
     Reply
    girlscoutcookie is back from hiatus was starred girlscoutcookie is back from hiatus was unstarred
    Image of GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11) GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11)
    11/17/09

    In reply to Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer
    "For each case of cancer-related death prevented among women under 50, 1,900 women must be screened." Um, I guess I don't have a very good grasp of large numbers/statistics, but this seems like a reasonable "death-rate" to justify screening. What am I missing? #cancer
     Reply
    GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11) was starred GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11) was unstarred
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