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Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer
Study: Mammograms May Lead To Overtreatment Of Harmless Cancers
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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Blueberry26
11/17/09

@jemandtheholograms: My mom fainted in her first mammogram. I am officially terrified. #cancer
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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GirlFailer
11/17/09

@morninggloria: Wait, what am I supposed to do with my Friday nights now? #cancer
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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
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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
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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
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kkatt
11/17/09

In reply to Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer
I'm sorry , Brenda Walsh found a lump with a self exam and if it could happen to her it could happen to anyone.

Really though, I find this very surprising. I would think that more testing is better than less testing. I know it is possible to get a false positive but I would rather have an unnecessary biopsy then let breast cancer run wild in my body. #cancer
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Red-headed bookworm
11/17/09

@kkatt: Considering my mom found her breast cancer the first time through a self-exam, I think this info from the task force is stupid. My mom is on her third(?) instance of cancer and it's now spread to her lungs. The first one she found was at 42. #cancer
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kkatt
11/17/09

@Red-headed bookworm: I'm sorry to hear about your mom - good luck to her!!!! #cancer
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dreamweave
11/17/09

In reply to Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer
Great article, as usual Katy. Good coverage of this on NPR this morning too, made a opint to highlight the difference between individual discussions between dr. and patient and matters of public health policy.

Also mentioned worry that now insurance companies may deny coverage to mammograms for women under 40. #cancer
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jonesy
08/17/09

In reply to Study: Mammograms May Lead To Overtreatment Of Harmless Cancers
Even though a cancer can be "harmless" it is still a malignancy. Personally, as someone who works in breast pathology, there is no decision to make. A mammogram is vital, it saves lives. I'd rather go through the mammogram and subsequent treatment than take the risk and let it turn into some of the things I've seen.
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NellMood
08/17/09

@jonesy: Thanks. There seems to be some confusion here- we're not talking about benign tumors, right? This is actually cancer being discussed?
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shorty63136
08/17/09

In reply to Study: Mammograms May Lead To Overtreatment Of Harmless Cancers
"Harmless cancer" sounds like an oxymoron to me. I mean, I'm not an oncologist or biology major by any means but if it is actually cancer (and not some benign tissue just chillin out), how is it harmless? I'm not so sure about "taking a guess" or "waiting to see" if it gets bad pretty quick and kills me (or causes me to need a really aggressive treatment).
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Rare Affinity
08/17/09

In reply to Study: Mammograms May Lead To Overtreatment Of Harmless Cancers
I had a mammogram a few weeks back. Free and automatic for women of my vintage (Madonna’s) on the NHS. (Take that US rightwing politicos!) The procedure was uncomfortable and somewhat painful as I had a heat rash on my breasts making them especially tender. In addition, because of their size, the technician said she would have to check the first set of x-rays to see if she needed to do more to ensure a comprehensive record. Whilst I waited for the second batch of x-rays, another woman said if men had to go through the same kind of screening for testicular cancer, they would have invented a less invasive and painful method years ago.
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ihateyourescalade
08/17/09

In reply to Study: Mammograms May Lead To Overtreatment Of Harmless Cancers
What, and miss the yearly opportunity to wait in a freezing room for an hour to get seen, smash my breasts against cold metal while holding my breath until I want to pass out, have the crap scared out of me as the technician keeps asking for more and more pictures, and wait a week for the sonogram they've now scheduled to check out the suspicious area only to be told, finally, that everything is fine--this time? What fun would that be?
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Task Force To Under-50s: Don't Bother Screening For Breast Cancer

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