New Breast Exam Theory: All We Have Been Told May Not Be True

Women at average risk of breast cancer in their 40s don’t benefit from mammograms and should wait until age 50 to get them, say new guidelines released by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

It isn’t the idea that mammograms are being discounted for women in their 40s that brought BernieHund back to the computer.  In fact, it should come as no surprise to anyone that there have been a change in the guidelines.  Whether the report has merit or not is not for BernieHund to judge.  The reasoning behind the “non-benefit” of mammograms for women in their 40s is what is most astounding.

The studies found that mammograms in women aged 40 to 49 led to false positive tests that created a need for invasive procedures like biopsies and generated anxiety.

There are few tests that do not give up false positives from time to time.  There is no doubt that “invasive procedures like biopsies” are a high cost for insurance companies and often find no positive results.  To have added “generated anxiety” as a reason for the lack of benefit is beyond absurd. 

Aside from the ten year mammogram push back date, the self-examination was minimized by the report.  Maybe it is true that the monthly self-exam does little to detect cancer, but quite honestly what can it hurt?  For those women (and men) who have found a lump or a nodule, possibly leading to the early detection of cancer, the self-exam was worth the ten minutes a month it takes to perform.

Here’s the point, and it isn’t just about breast cancer exams and mammograms.  The point is we cannot put much stock in this new report or many other reports that have been touted as the newest “truth.”  For example, several years ago we were told that drinking coffee would all but put us on our death beds as if there was a direct correlation between the number of cups we drink in a lifetime and the length of life.  Now, we are told that a cup of coffee is good for us not only to keep us awake but to keep the mind alert.  Once upon a time chocolate was a bad thing.  Now we are told that dark chocolate is a good thing.  Wine would harm us.  Now, red wine will add to our longevity.

In my many years only one recommendation has remained constant and it doesn’t exactly apply to healthcare.  When I was a kid and we all lived in fear of the Russians coming or the threat of nuclear war, in school we practiced our linear evacuations during fire drills and getting under our desks with our hands over our heads in case of nuclear fallout.  Following 9-11 when there was the fear of a dirty bomb being detonated in our neighborhood we were told to cover our windows with plastic and duct tape.  Almost fifty years has passed since our fear of the Russians has subsided and the plan is the same.  Maybe someone should commission a study?

As we look back over history we learn that once upon a time it was thought that the earth was flat.  Today we laugh at the idea.  Maybe one day we will look back at all the absolute dos and don’ts and laugh.  But, for today the idea that we are more concerned about generating anxiety than saving a life is about as ludicrous as it gets.  For all those wives, mothers, daughters and friends between forty and fifty who have had breast cancer detected by a mammogram or through self-examination and have lived to share their story, we believe the effort and the cost was worth it.

Tagged as: breast cancer, Healthcare