LIVESTRONG BLOG

Thank you so much for your support on this important issue. I knew I could count on Livestrong to be a voice in support of the millions of women affected by this disease. God bless all of us in the fight against cancer. Always Livestrong!

I was 37 and had breast cancer 13 years ago I would be dead now if not for a mammogram. I now work with women that have breast cancer. Many of these women are in there 40′s how many have to die for mammograms to be cost effective.

Thank you for taking a stand on this explosive issue. This misinformation from the government task force is exactly what we can expect to see in spades if health care is nationalized. Task force recommendations will be made policy, no matter what the Doctors, other experts, and Survivors, say about it.

Could this be the beginning of a movement to scale back the use of our health plans because of what’s coming in terms of Government Run Health care. How does anyone justify thereversal and subsequent confusion as a result. I think we’re being setup for huge changes and in this case our mom’s, wive’s, sister’s, aunt’s & friends will pay a great price. Tell me what’s changed?? Except that which is on the horizon. This is just the beginning and I’m not buying it!!!!

It is not just conflicting messages that are the problem, but the slippery slope. My cousin was under 35 when she thought she felt a lump her doctor could not detect. Because she was part of an HMO,because she lived in an area of the country where alternatives were not readily available, because her doctor used his authority as a medical professional to convince her she didn’t need the mammo, because the time, travel, and costs of going against the grain were daunting, she waited. Her two pre-adolecent daughters have been without their mother for several years now. Keep empowering women to trust themselves, to advocate for themselves, to feel the fear and face it head on, to LIVESTRONG!

These new guidelines really concern me. Fifteen years ago, through self-exam I found a cancerous breast tumor. Last August a SECOND malignant tumor was found, this time by mammography, a lesion too small to palpate. If breast self exams and mammograms are discouraged, I fear women will miss the early detection that may save their lives. I am grateful to have benefited from both.

As a husband, father of 2 young girls and a healthcare worker, I thank you for making clear your stand on this often confusing and scary topic. Too many times I have overheard conversations asking for guidence or for one solid answer to this question. As you stated, we need to sustain the available care not take from it. I pray for the day when my daughters can grow up without the fear of this disease.

Thank you so very much for your outspoken support of early detection!! I lost my Aunt to breast cancer and she was only 38. If self exams had been as widely taught in 1989 as they are now she may have caught her lump in time.
Since the day she was diagnosed I have done my best to educate all of my friends on the importance of self exams, clinical exams by a doctor, and mammograms. These new guidelines make a mockery of my work. I am disgusted and afraid of the future for women because of this!

come to long island and see all the people under 40 who have breast cancer Do they want to explaing it to their kids

good work and good statement! the new guidelines are based on statistical analysis of the data, and therefore about how much benefit vs. how much cost, etc. this is fully irrelevant to the individual patient, as exhibited in these testimonials (and the best example of beating odds being lance armstrong!). as others have noted, if the government takes over health care, this type of analysis and treatment choice would be the norm, NOT the exception–this is not political, just the truth, as it is in countries where data and limitations are the basis of the medical system–think carefully about your LIVESTRONG policy statements concerning the choices being thrown around now by politicians, not patients.

There should NEVER be a “too early” for early prevention.

The guidelines published in Annals of Internal Medicine are absurd for two main reasons: First, they are based in large part on statistical models which are subject to interpretation and manipulation; Second, because they ignore their own data. The USPSTF commissioned a study to review recent clinical data regarding screening mammograms. That data is reported in a companion article in the same issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. That study found that screening mammography lead to a 15% decrease in mortality in women 39-49!
The USPSTF raises important issues, however. Screening programs may lead to treatment that might not be necessary and cancer treatment can be harmful. So, a more rational recommendation would be to continue the current mammogram guidelines, and in the meantime, validate gene expression assays that are predictive and prognostic–that is continued research to develop genetic testing that can predict how a cancer will respond to treatment and give an indication as to whether a cancer will follow an aggressive or indolent course. Such testing platforms have been and are being developed. In that way, we can determine which cancers need immediate treatment and which can be observed.
I can’t help but wonder if on some level the guidelines reflect a need to trim billions of dollars from the government’s health care budget. Currently, Congress mandates Medicare to pay for screening mammograms. Will these guidelines serve to reverse that mandate?

Thank you for taking a strong stand against the recommendations. I was diagnosed with Stage-1 invasive breast cancer at age 43. My cancer was detected at my annual screening mammogram. My cancer was so small that it had not even formed a lump, therefore, it could not have been discovered by monthly BSE. My cancer was high grade and aggressive. After surgery to remove the cancer, I underwent chemotherapy and radiation. If I had followed the new guidelines and not had a mammogram until age 50, I truly believe that I would be dead now. I was distraught today when I heard how many women had canceled their annual mammograms when these new guidelines were announced today.

OK, this is not an all-or-nothing, either/or situation, people. The new guidelines just say that mammos starting at 40 are not a medical hot button. It still leaves it open to the individual — the basis for our COUNTRY, for god’s sake! — to decide for herself. Any woman with any care about herself will still do self-exams, and pursue any item of concern.

It’s not up to the government, or the medical community, or even LIVESTRONG, for that matter, to track our health needs for us. It is OUR CHOICE AND OBLIGATION.

I am an 8-year breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed at the age of 42. If not for an exam and mammogram, I would not be here now. Thank you so much for your continuing support on behalf of women everywhere!

In a medical world dominated by males, this in no way surprises me. If it were men that were affected by breast cancer (and actually, indeed they are, but not to the effect that women are) it would probably never have come to this. It never ceased to amaze me that it took forever for insurance companies to finally pay for birth control, yet it was never a question when Viagra arrived on the scene. When will women finally gain equal footing in EVERY aspect of living? We are still 2nd class citizens.
Women, you’re going to have to step up to the challenge. Yes, it’s uncomfortable to teach your daughters how to do self-exams, but this is not something that should disappear off the face of the earth as these cretins would have it. My grandmother finally read an article about self-exams back in 1972, and found a lump when she practiced. Yes, it was malignant..
Insurance companies more than likely paid for this…. ‘study’… and I use the term loosely. Insurance companies are scum.

LIVESTRONG and Doug,

make up your mind. You just endorsed the House bill that would create a government entity to make recommendations such as this into practice! So what is it – do you want the government to make the recommendations into policy or dont you?

I believe this decision should be between a doctor on the patient. But what do you think? Should Medicaid follow these recommendations or not? If not, why did you endorse a bill that makes a medical body to decide on these recommendations and enforce them through government run insurance.

You cant have it both ways and I am tired of you contributing to the confusion. Do you support the government making these decisions or not. If not, then your support of the House bill is hippocritical.

To Mark B: Yes, women will continue self examinations, but they might not be able to continue with mammograms and have insurance pay for it. That is the issue. If the government feels it isn’t necessary, the insurance companies will soon drop coverage. And honey, they are expensive. You have the mammogram and the radiologist to read it. And then if there is a suspicious area, an ultrasound will be ordered- and of course probably not covered. Total cost will be $1000. Hard for most people to cover out of pocket. That is why there is the outrage.

I FEEL THAT YOUR RESPONSE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH STRONGER. IF MAMMOGRAPHY AND BREAST EXAMS SAVE JUST ONE LIFE IT IS WORTH IT.

Please remember that the guidelines are talking about ROUTINE mammograms; they do not apply to women who are in higher-risk categories (family history and history of radiation/hormonal therapy being the top two non-age-related categories). Also, keep in mind that nobody’s saying you CAN’T have a mammogram whenever you want one (altho you may have to pay for it yourself). The guidelines are just saying, “On a macro level, the results don’t justify the costs.” Look. We do not have infinite resources. I’m sorry, and it sucks, but that is the truth. The costs of ROUTINE mammograms are very high given the number of cancers that are found, and that’s compounded by the monetary, physical, and emotional costs of all the false positives that result in unnecessary and painful treatment. And don’t forget that there is also a cost to spending money on one thing instead of on another. Early screening for breast cancer may save X number of lives, but funneling those monies/efforts instead into screening/treating, say, inner-city kids for hepatitis would save MULTIPLES OF X NUMBER of lives. Cripes. If you’re going to get so steamed about this, why not also be steamed about the fact that AIDS tests aren’t routine? The number of people who are walking around with HIV and don’t know it is WAY higher than the number of women aged 40-49 who are walking around with breast cancer. WAY higher. If we funneled the money spent on early mammograms into routine testing for HIV, think of the MANY more individuals who could be treated and who could live much, much, longer, happier, healthier lives than they otherwise would. Not to mention, HIV is INFECTIOUS, whereas breast cancer is not.

I would like to say that mammograms are very important but it depends on the woman’s body and the density of their tissues if a mammogram or an ecography is the best way to have her diagnosed. Sometimes both exams are needed in order to get an accurate diagnose. Doctors not always prescribe ecographies because they are expensive, so make sure that if your mammogram is not clear or if you know that the density of your tissues is high, request an ecography. Of course, do not forget to do the self exams, do not be afraid to ask your doctor or the nurse to teach you how to do it right … you can save your own life, so it’s worth it!
Thanks!

Thank you for taking a stand against the new dangerous guidelines. I was diagnosed with stage 3c triple negative breast cancer at age 37 this year after finding a lump in a self exam and getting a diagnostic mammogram and sonogram. The three years leading up to this point I had a hunch something was wrong and requested mammograms every year at my physical and was refused because I was “too young”. After my bilateral mastectomy this summer (approved/paid for mostly by insurance), my insurance company tried to deny paying for the mammogram and pre-op MRI claiming it was not medically necessary because of MY AGE! I had to call and appeal since of course both tests revealed I had advanced breast cancer and of course were necessary. Younger women with breast cancer are more likely to have very aggressive forms of the disease (ie triple negative, HER2+) – mammograms should be routine EARLIER, not later. And to suggest women stop doing self exams! It’s all completely outrageous.

Thank you for taking this strong stand. Now is not the time to cut back, but this is the time to increase way to detect and stop cancer.

I would have been dead at 41 if I my doctor hadn’t insisted I have a baseline mammogram at 40.

Thank you Lance and the people at Livestrong for opposing these guidelines that will cause more young women to die of breast cancer.

You have just given me one more reason to continue to support your organization.

Thanks you for taking your stand. I don’t believe it is an Obama governmental stand – I think it is a bunch of medical people who have tied many tests/results together, crunched their own numbers and have decided this.
Pressure from people like LiveStrong will make a difference – THANK YOU

Age isn’t the only issue w/ new recommendations. New recommendations find BSE (breast self-exam) of little value. I certainly disagree & will continue to encourage others to monitor their own health!
I found my breast lump myself (in 2005) which prompted me to schedule a mammogram, cancer later confirmed w/ biopsy. Granted many lumps are hard to detect w/ BSE, but eliminating your own self-exam is one less step in the goal of early direction. I’m glad I did my BSE & cancer was found EARLY! No chemo was required because no spread was suspected, lymph glands were negative, lump was small. Had only been 1 year since my last mamm.

I agree with Matt… Just trust the government, don’t talk to your doctor, government bureaucrats ALWAYS have your best interests at heart.

Hey guys they’re also telling us the PSA is unreliable, so what are we going to do, and believe???, with cancer you never know, I lost my wife to breast cancer last year after 15yrs, of remission, a hell of a surprise!!

Dr. Ryan, Over the past 5 years I’ve had false positives and finally a true positive. I chose what you’d probably call ‘overtreatment’ for Stage 0 DCIS breast cancer. I had a bilateral mastectomy w/reconstruction. Discovered that the ‘healthy’ breast contained atypical cells as well. Happy to be rid of my ticking time bombs AND anxiety at the same time. I don’t buy research that my DCIS MIGHT have disappeared post-menopause! “Overtreatment,” whatever that is, sure beats death!