new recommendation on breast cancer screening- wait until age 50

lisa42

Hi,

Even though it's not related to colorectal cancer, I am curious to what most of your reactions to yesterday's news of the "new recommended guidelines for breast cancer screening". The new recommendations are to stop screening women with mammagrams at age 40 and wait until age 50. I just can't believe it!! The American Cancer Society reacted in strong oppostion to this. It kind of makes me wonder if it's somehow related to government healthcare upcoming programs. How much money would be saved if no one got screened until 50? Ask the many women who were diagnosed much younger than that. I personally know of three women who died from breast cancer in their THIRTIES! The new guidelines also recommended for women to stop giving themselves breast self exams, as they "don't do much of anything". Tell that to the women who found their lumps and were diagnosed with cancer!
Supposedly, the reason for these changes in guidelines is because there are women who have lumps who aren't cancerous, then it's been leading to too many unneccesary biopsies.
Why wouldn't they rather be on the side of caution, then to throw the early screening out? This makes no sense to me and makes me quite angry!

Any other thoughts?

Lisa

geotina

I'm with you on this one
I just can't believe they are saying age 50. Personally, I think the first one should be around age 30. A business associate of George's, well, his daugher is 23 and going through breast cancer treatment. She has completed chemo, was lucky it shrunk the tumor and a lumpectomy and not mastectomy was done and she is now doing radiation then will be taking a few maintenance medicines for 5 plus years. I would like someone to look this poor girl in the eyes and tell her, women don't need to get checked until age 50. These new guidelines make no sense to me. Shameful.

lisa42

does anyone know where we can write to express our dismay?
Hi Everyone,

I'm just wondering if anyone has an internet link or an address where we can write to express our concern and dismay over this new recommendation... anyone??

Paula G.

A load of crap
I had a base line at 35. and have had one every year since 40. Well ok every 18 months. The self breast exam saved a couple of my friends life and one was in her thirty's and the other late forty's. I think it is wrong and they should screen the way they were. And women should always do self breast exams. I am really angry it sets the rules back when more lifes have been saved. I am with you Lisa.

John23

Double thread?
Most of the information is here:
http://csn.cancer.org/node/180015

This isn't a new recommendation, it's the same recommendation as
it had been in 1997. This has been a debate among those in the
profession for years.

It remains to be a choice between doctor and patient, and that
is not about to change. The recommendation is just that, a
recommendation. It is not an order, nor will it be an order.

My insurance company has been cutting back on services and raising
rates since the last four years of the previous administration. Nothing
has changed. I am now on Medicare with my old company as
secondary, and I am getting more services now, than with the
private company alone.

Our health care system needs to be improved, not set on the back shelf
for another eight years as it's been in the past.

We should be rallying, not bellowing.

The other thread has links:
http://csn.cancer.org/node/180015



Better health!

PGLGreg

Why not do early screening?
Lisa asks: "Why wouldn't they rather be on the side of caution, then to throw the early screening out? This makes no sense to me and makes me quite angry!"

Let's see if I can help you make sense of it. It's to save money. You're a tax payer or insurance payer, aren't you? Wouldn't you like to save some money? Well, if you're a selfless individual, maybe not, but at least it should make sense to you that some people might want to.

--Greg

Mike49

I think this is the most stupid direction I have heard yet. Part of it is to also to stop teaching breast self exam. Some times statistical relevance sits down for what is right in any individuals life. I think this is the wrong direction to go.

Kathryn_in_MN

John23 said:

Double thread?
Most of the information is here:
http://csn.cancer.org/node/180015

This isn't a new recommendation, it's the same recommendation as
it had been in 1997. This has been a debate among those in the
profession for years.

It remains to be a choice between doctor and patient, and that
is not about to change. The recommendation is just that, a
recommendation. It is not an order, nor will it be an order.

My insurance company has been cutting back on services and raising
rates since the last four years of the previous administration. Nothing
has changed. I am now on Medicare with my old company as
secondary, and I am getting more services now, than with the
private company alone.

Our health care system needs to be improved, not set on the back shelf
for another eight years as it's been in the past.

We should be rallying, not bellowing.

The other thread has links:
http://csn.cancer.org/node/180015



Better health!

John
Do you call "Better health!" telling women that a self-exam should not be done? That it is questionable whether they should even have a doctor examine them?

So following their "suggested guidelines" now, this means that a woman shouldn't have a mammogram or breast exam, self or doctor, till age 50. Do nothing. Nothing at all. And then just a mammogram every two years. This is what I call the stupidity! It has NOTHING to do with my views on the fact that we need to change our healthcare system. It has EVERYTHING to do with common sense.

Do you know how many women would have breast cancer that isn't caught if they followed this? Do you have any idea of how many women under age 50 get breast cancer? And how many are detected by mammogram or self-exam or doctor exams? Do you REALLY believe women should do NOTHING at all till age 50?

A good friend of mine is alive today (just finishing up her treatments) because of a self-exam, followed up by mammogram. She is in her 40's, not 50 yet. If she followed the advice to not do a self-exam, because they aren't effective, then what? She would have been dead before that magical age 50 to get the mammogram.

COMMON SENSE - they are missing it!

coloCan

Mike49 said:

I think this is the most stupid direction I have heard yet. Part of it is to also to stop teaching breast self exam. Some times statistical relevance sits down for what is right in any individuals life. I think this is the wrong direction to go.

politicians
Take the money wasted on political races and propagander, take the money drug companies and big pharma give for lobbying, etc and there is money for health needs, testing, scans. Its a question of priorities/politics.....My opininion.....Steve