<p>Today, I went with a group of friends to have our mammograms. The reason for the sense of accomplishment is that, for the first time, we were able to convince one friend to come along and have her first. She is terrified of anything doctor/medical related and it’s been a struggle for us to talk her into seeking any kind of medical attention/care. So, today we all feel great that she felt comfortable and confident enough to join us for our group visit to the clinic. This is a regular event for the rest of us; we go get ‘squished’ then head out for a nice lunch and a glass of wine. We were happy to increase our group by one this year. </p>
<p>Just wanted to remind all you ladies who may be procrastinating in making your appointment. A regular schedule of self-examination, physical examination by your physician, and regular screening mammograms should be a part of every woman’s healthcare regimen. Please don’t wait! :)</p>
<p>True, breast self-exams are nowhere near as effective as routine mammograms (which have been proven to be highly effective in lowering the risk of mortality). But I, and I suspect others who have dealt with this disease, would take many benign breast biopsies over a case of breast cancer caught later than ideal. </p>
<p>Good for you, alwaysamom, for your approach to this matter. You are a good friend to those you included in your group. I think every woman should bring a “breast buddy” along for the annual mammogram – and the ideal is to recruit someone who would otherwise be avoidant. Turning it into a social/fun occasion is a terrific idea!</p>
<p>Congrats on getting your mammograms, though I personally believe they should be coupled with a sonogram as well, especially for women with fibrocystic breasts.
Additionally, while I’m usually just a lurker on these boards, there is an important bill pending, entitled “Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act” which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48 hour hospitalization for a woman undergoing a mastectomy. The link to sign on-line the petition supporting this bill (it takes 2 seconds & only requires your name & zip code) is:<br>
<a href=“http://www.lifetimetv.com/breastcancer/petition/signpetition.php[/url]”>http://www.lifetimetv.com/breastcancer/petition/signpetition.php</a></p>
<p>“True, breast self-exams are nowhere near as effective as routine mammograms (which have been proven to be highly effective in lowering the risk of mortality). But I, and I suspect others who have dealt with this disease, would take many benign breast biopsies over a case of breast cancer caught later than ideal.”</p>
<p>It’s not a matter of them being “near as effective” - after 35 years, they haven’t been shown to be effective at all. They do not lower the risk of mortality - at all. To the degree that women have used them as a substitute for regular medical care (and, remember, many people in this country do lack such care), they are a dangerous thing to promote. (My wife had what I hope is her last chemo today! :))</p>
<p>mini, I’m not sure if you are referring to me or not but I wasn’t simply promoting self-examination. It’s one part of what should be a ‘package’ of a health regimen for women re: care of their breasts, which will also include regular physical examination by your physician, in addition to annual screening mammograms. It should never be seen as a substitute for the other parts of the package. I do understand the concerns re: health insurance, but I’m in Canada and everyone is covered. My intention was not to start that debate again. :)</p>
<p>awghh, mini, I am so glad to hear that Ellen had her last (fingers crossed) chemo. My H’s friend is going through chemo now for a different type of cancer. She has her on and off days, but she has trouble eating b/c so many foods taste like metal to her.</p>
<p>BTW, my doctors are still promoting SBEs along with mammography.</p>
<p>Mni, congrats to your wife on the great milestone and best wishes to her for continued good health. I have two more chemos to go, but have found it fairly easy - joke that I must be like Rasputin, whom the poison could not “get!”
I just don’t see how BSE’s could do any serious harm (unless you count needless worry) and even the first study you cite declares, “More than 30 non-randomised studies have produced conflicting results, not providing any strong evidence to support the practice of breast self examination.” (emphases mine) Also, one of those studies says that even if mortality does not differ, BSE’s still do often idenify tumors at an earlier stage. For some women, this may mean a lumpectomy rather than a mastectomy, even if it does not prolong survival.
Certainly, nobody should think it is appropriate to substitute BSE’s for mammograms. But even mammos miss roughly 20% of malignant tumors. I figure any attention to the identification of this disease early is a positive. I do know of women whose BC was identified through BSE. They may not be statistically significant, but they are significant to those who know them.</p>
<p>I think the important thing about SBEs is that, in theory, they keep women thinking about the issue. In practice, it hasn’t worked out that way. Not only do they not reduce mortality “by catching things earlier”, they don’t seem to lead to earlier diagnosis and successful treatment by health care providers. In other words, while in theory the idea that SBE “should be part of the package” on its face seems like a reasonable one, in practice, even after 35 years, that “package” hasn’t been shown to be effective. </p>
<p>And, in practice, because of the wonders of the “best health care system in the world”, it is seen, when promoted, as a substitute for the health care that many women can’t access otherwise. It shouldn’t be, but that is the reality. It is no different than any other preventive snake oil that is used when individuals don’t have access to routine medical care. </p>
<p>“I do know of women whose BC was identified through BSE.”</p>
<p>I too know of women whose BC was identified through BSE, as do the researchers. The point is, however, that having been so identified, it has had no impact on mortality rates. </p>
<p>I wish, I deeply wish, it was different. But this is one area of self preventive care that has, in fact, been well researched. The “package” has not been proven to be a good idea. It CAN cause serious harm if it means that even a few women, because of access issues (starting with cost and insurance) put off medical examination because of a false sense of security.</p>
<p>Alwaysamom, it’s a great idea that you go with your friends as a group! It’s also kind of you to post a reminder on CC for other women.</p>
<p>My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years ago despite yearly mammograms (plus an extra one when she felt she noticed a change in her breast–a couple of years before her diagnosis). Her oncologist said that the tumor had likely been growing for six or seven years, so that’s seven or eight mammograms that the tumor wasn’t caught during. He also said that mammograms are not particularly effective at catching this type of breast cancer (invasive lobular carcinoma). I’m going to agree with the Mayo Clinic on this one:
<p>Yea for Ellen mini!! I’ve been thinking about her as I tend to my mom during her treatment. Her last chemo is July 24th, so we are right there with ya!</p>
<p>coarranged - My mom also has invasive lobular carcinoma. She is an RN and vigilant about mammograms. The last one didn’t really show anything other than an area of weirdly arranged cells/tissue. Nothing that looked conclusively like cancer. Subsequent scintimammogram confirmed malignancy and biopsy the nature of the cancer (lobular vs. ductal). And her docs also told her the 4-5 cm tumor had probably been there at least 5 years and possibly as long as 10 years. So yes…5-10 mammograms that showed nothing remarkable. Isn’t that scary?</p>
<p>In our family, we have come to the conclusion breast MRI is the way to go for high risk patients. And sometimes, the patient needs to be their own advocate and insist on the more sophisticated test.</p>
<p>It’s definitely scary. I wonder if my sister and I (20 and 18 years old, respectively) will fall into that “high risk” group once we’re older and will end up getting MRI scans instead of mammograms. I’m not really sure how the genetics work on this, but it something for all of us “kids” to keep in mind. </p>
<p>My best to your mother. My mom was her 40s when she was diagnosed at stage IIb with some minimal lymph node spread. She had chemo for a lot of the year, had radiation, and needed multiple surgeries, but she is now cancer-free and everything looks to be going well. I hope that things turn out similarly well for your mother.</p>
<p>Thank you corranged…I’m glad to hear how well your mom is doing and that she is now cancer-free.</p>
<p>My mom opted for bi-lateral mastectomy, 12 weekly taxol chemo treatments follwed by FAC chemo every three weeks. She will not have to have radiation because she only had a couple of questionable nodes that weren’t conclusively positive. Her MD Anderson oncologist seems to think radiation will not improve her percentages and she will have a much easier reconstruction without radiation.</p>
<p>Does your mom plan to do genetic testing? I think insurance covers it if you are not post-menopausal. My mom plans to have the tests done because my cousin (her niece) is terminally ill with breast cancer. She was diagnosed in her early 30s and by the time she was diagnosed it had metasticized to the bones. I tend to think it is not a genetic thing in our family…just a horrible coincidence. (My cousin has ductal, mom lobular and no other family member has ever had breast cancer.) But she will do the testing as a precaution.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would consider MRIs when you and your sis get to your 30s. It is such a treatable disease if caught early. This is what I’ve told my 19 year old daughter she should do as well.</p>
<p>Last year the technician just could not get a decent picture, so I ended up having 8 extra films taken on one side. I can deal with the discomfort but found it extremely frustrating (if something isn’t working, why not try something else?) and wonder/worry about the amount radiation being zapped into that breast. They finally had me make an appt to come back for a sonogram, which showed assymetry (no other details).
Why not do the sonogram or MRI sooner? Insurance??</p>