66 Responses to “LIVESTRONG Responds to New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening”

1. Linda C says:

   November 18, 2009 at 11:21 am

   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.
2. cori says:

   November 18, 2009 at 12:30 pm

   My friend would have died this year if she hadn’t followed up on a lump in her breast she found. She is 39. She is also a designer and has had a hard time paying medical bills. Want to help? Buy her cool t-shirt that speaks against these guidelines. http://www.cafepress.com/detectbc
3. Carla says:

   November 18, 2009 at 12:39 pm

   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
4. The Theory of Large Numbers « CXO Footnotes says:

   November 18, 2009 at 12:50 pm

   [...] 40-49 years old?  The American Cancer Society has decided to ignore the new recommendations as has Livestrong.  The Susan G. Komen for the Cure has posted a more balanced [...]
5. Bruce Deeter says:

   November 18, 2009 at 1:13 pm

   My sister is a BC survivor having been diagnosed in her early 40s and undergoing a double mastectomy along with enduring chemo. Thankfully she is still cancer free over 7 years later. Thanks for your stance and all the work you do.
6. Debbi says:

   November 18, 2009 at 6:19 pm

   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.
7. Matt says:

   November 19, 2009 at 10:09 am

   A line must be drawn somewhere, and the task force recommendation was based on research, not whim, right? So what is Livestrong’s recommendation: screen into the teens? Where should the line to start screening be decided and how should that be done? I am glad the task force has stirred the pot so that we can talk about it. Let’s THINK, not react. The above responses are based on anecdotal experience, not evidence.
8. Larry says:

   November 19, 2009 at 10:42 am

   I agree with Matt… Just trust the government, don’t talk to your doctor, government bureaucrats ALWAYS have your best interests at heart.
9. Timothy J. Moynihan MD says:

   November 20, 2009 at 4:51 pm

   There is much confusion and angst about these new guidelines, along with a lot of misunderstanding. A couple of notes on previous comments. One is that the mammogram screening is in reference to otherwise, completly asymptomatic people. Once a lump has been detected, either by a health care provider or by the patient themselves, we are no longer “screening” but now evaluating a lump. This is a whole different issue as far as health care providers are concerned. Lumps need an evaluation, appropriate for the individual’s circumstances.
   As far as screening in completely asymptomatic individuals, in the 40-49 year old age group, mammograms are not a very good test. It happens to be the best we currently have, but what we really need are better screening tests, not a push for everyone to get a test that has unacceptably high false negative (misses a cancer that is there) and false positive (shows what looks like a cancer, but is really not a cancer) results.
   So, I agree with the Susan Komen group that the main thing that should be taken from these new recommendations is each person needs to discuss carefully with their own doctor their own circumstances and try to decide what screening tests are right for you, and at the same time work to develop more reliable and dependable screening tests for everyone.
10. Art Monty says:

    November 20, 2009 at 6:38 pm

    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!!
11. Chet says:

    November 21, 2009 at 1:27 pm

    Hey Matt-

    Until they get a better screening process for prostate cancer I hope you are doing self exams…..and I hope that you never find a lump in your scrotum. If you do, it will change your opinion and your experience.
12. Julia says:

    December 3, 2009 at 4:03 pm

    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!
13. Mary says:

    December 7, 2009 at 12:42 am

    I co-facilate the cancer support group where I live, and we started it in 1993. We also have a cancer house where people stay while having their chemo/radiation. We have had one lady with breast cancer in her 30’s and several in their 40’s so no one can tell me it is fine to wait until our 50’s to start having mammo’s. Also I am a BC pt. and my mammo was neg.last month but they are now going to be doing a breast MRI on me as soon as the machine arrives here due to how a spot feels. So these “experts” need to retake some of their medical courses. If I was their professor I definately would not be giving them a passing grade.
14. “Wasserman Schultz critical of new breast cancer guidelines” and related posts « Twitter says:

    December 17, 2009 at 12:15 am

    [...] LIVESTRONG Responds to New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening - LIVESTRONG Blog [...]
15. “The USPSTF recommendations for breast cancer screening: Not the final word” and related posts « Twitter says:

    December 17, 2009 at 3:43 pm

    [...] LIVESTRONG Responds to New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening - LIVESTRONG Blog [...]
16. ONS Connect says:

    January 22, 2010 at 8:28 am

    [...] cancer survivors. Many groups including the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, American Cancer Society, Lance Armstrong Foundation and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have made formal position statements on [...]

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