Editorial: Breast cancer testing important at any age

Opinion

Discussion

November 21, 2009

Anonymous The Jacksonville Daily Progress Sat Nov 21, 2009, 04:40 PM CST

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force made a landmark recommendation this week — mammographies for women under age 50 are not needed and should be stopped. This recommendation flies directly in the face of American Cancer Society recommendations.

Taking this one step further, the task force also decided self breast examinations were ineffective and should not be taught.

Typically thought of as a “women’s disease,” breast cancer affects everyone — almost 2,000 men will be diagnosed with the disease this year.

And the 250,230 women who will be diagnosed this year are wives, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, girlfriends, best friends — their battle will affect families and friends deeply. They will have to watch their loved one fight for her life.

How many of those women and men will miss a diagnosis if these suggested guidelines are followed? How many will not learn they have breast cancer until it is too late?

And despite the current backlash from the public and medical community, and the federal government’s promise these are recommendations and not set in stone, what damage has already been done? How many women 49 and under have cancelled scheduled mammographies and skipped their self exams today?

Statistics show breast cancer in women under 50 is more rare than for those entering menopause and beyond — but the chance is still there that it can and often will strike women outside of the bounds of set age limits for testing.

Take the example of Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts, who, at 46, discovered a lump in her breast during a self exam. She recovered after surgery and chemotherapy — treatments that started just a couple of weeks after she first found a lump.

And what about actress Christina Applegate? She was diagnosed with breast cancer at only 36. She also learned she carried a gene that predisposed her to the disease. She opted for a double mastectomy after having watched her mother and other female relatives battle it.

These are only two examples of very public women who have, very publicly, fought breast cancer at an age far under this new recommendation.

Everyone who loves a woman — any woman — must encourage her to continue self exams and get mammographies. Watching for this disease is not an option, regardless of age.

Everyone who is or knows of a breast cancer survivor should also barrage their congresspersons with letters and phone calls expressing their outrage at these new recommendations — if by some chance the federal government does buy into these new guidelines, it could easily lead to insurance agencies no longer funding these tests for women under 50.

With 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S., it’s a message the politicians shouldn’t ignore.

Make sure they hear it.

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