Panel Recommends Against Regular Mammograms for Women Under Age 50 - Your opinions?

[sara78]

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was nine. She was 42. An abnormal mammogram screening detected her cancer. She did not know that she had a high risk for breast cancer because she was not raised by her biological mother and had no access to those records. She was otherwise very healthy, non smoker, non drinker. I can hear the conversation that would have taken place had these guidelines been in place at the time she went. Doctor: "Any history of disease?" Mom:"Not that I know of." Doctor:"Do you smoke/drink?" Mom:"No." Doctor: "Ok, great, we'll see you back in eight years."

I will be watching the congressional hearings very carefully. I am very curious to know who funded this study. The timing of this seems too convenient.

[goldengrain]

My doctor told me the pros and cons of mammograms and allowed me to make the decision. I think a responsible doctor will not push a test onto a patient unless the patient is mentally incompétent.

CT scans produce a much higher amount of radiation, but this is a good article:
Health | CT scans linked to surge in cancers, research finds | Seattle Times Newspaper
It mentions that xray machines produce differing amounts of RADS - does any one of us know what an acceptable dose of radiation is on these machines?
It is easy for a doctor to recommend a procedure the side effects of which are demonstrated many years down the road and therefore not legally actionable.

The article also gives stats on how many cancers are believed to be produced by a certain test.

Xray radiation doses are cumulative. Your body stores them. Having xrays on a regular basis increases the probability of producing a cancer. Some women who take umbridge because their cancer was detected by a mammogram could have had the cancer precipitated by that very test.

I read that although teaching hospitals may charge a great deal for their xrays, their machines tend to be the newest and carry the lowest dose of radiation. The old machines of these facilities are not discarded, but purchased by stand alone diagnostic facilities.

Bottom line, I think a doctor should be well informed of both sides of this issue (and discard potentially biased testing sponsored by machine manufacturers), try to impartially inform his patient of both sides and allow her to make her own decisions on this issue. I would be very sad to think that my own negligence caused a cancer, but mad as hell if I thought my doctor did.