A cancer diagnosis is devastating, but we can improve the long, lonely journey by supporting women with mastectomies to return to a new normal and restore their sense of well-being by restoring their breasts.
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So it stands to reason that when the American Cancer Society loosened its breast cancer screening guidelines last week for women at an average risk for breast cancer – calling for annual mammograms to begin at age 45, not 40 – Diane Jessup, of Malverne, disagreed.
Further, the ACS now recommends that women may transition from yearly mammograms to every other year, beginning at age 55.
“While were doing the walk-in mammograms we had one woman who actually, spur-of-the-moment said ‘oh, I’m here, I’ll do it, ‘ and was diagnosed with stage-2 breast cancer”.
“Women who have been diagnosed are willing to participate in clinical trials, which is a way for them to say, ‘If I have to go through this, I want to help myself, but I also want to be able to help somebody else, ‘” said Dr. Griffiths. “The entire recommendation becomes questionable because of that”. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has stated that evidence supports that mammograms reduce breast cancer deaths in women aged 40 to 74, and those five years shaved off from the old recommendations could be the difference between life and death in many cases.
Jacqueline Johnson, left, imaging director at Cascade Valley Hospital, helps Kathie Schroeder schedule a mammogram appointment at the hospital’s breast cancer awareness event, Pink Night Out, on October 21.
Since the American Cancer Society released their new cancer screening guidelines, many other health organizations have disagreed on the frequency of screening and at which age screenings should begin.
“So while our risk for developing breast cancer increases over the years”, she said, “the American Cancer Society is now recommending that women do less to detect a cancer early”.
A firm thickening of the skin may occur as a result of breast cancer.
“I want to give hope to people: one day can beat cancer”, said Akaka. “I knew the protocol and knew I needed to have it worked up”, she said. In her words, “Had I left it another six months, who knows?” she said. And more importantly health insurance companies don’t change their practices.
Admittedly, there is the potential for more false positives, or errors, when screening women in their early forties.
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A mammogram is an important step in taking care of yourself and your breasts.
