{"id":6215,"date":"2009-11-18T15:38:10","date_gmt":"2009-11-18T15:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jesuscreed\/2009\/11\/mammogram-testing-changes.html"},"modified":"2009-11-18T15:38:10","modified_gmt":"2009-11-18T15:38:10","slug":"mammogram-testing-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2009\/11\/mammogram-testing-changes.html","title":{"rendered":"Mammogram Testing Changes"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

All is well, but Kris
\nrecently went through her annual mammogram, the discovery of a change from last year with development of a cluster of microcalcifications, another mammogram and a consultation, and then a biopsy and a consultation with the radiologist to be given a
\nclean bill of health. Whew! As her husband, the days of praying and waiting and wondering
\nand worrying … some ups and downs … yes … a normal pattern for those who first learn of
\npotential cancer. And wonderful relief to learn that she’s fine.<\/span><\/p>\n

But now we are told
\n… maybe it was all for nothing. In fact, when Kris first read these reports she was not too happy. Are these doctors putting women through too much needless anxiety? Or, is this just a rogue report and finding?<\/span><\/p>\n

Some recent studies are suggesting major
\nshifting in the testing of women with mammograms. Some are saying no need for
\ntests before 50; others are poo-poohing the idea that self-testing does much
\ngood … and this recalls a debate all the way to Congress about a decade ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some say this is insurance companies
\ntelling us that mammograms aren’t needed, and some pushback by saying insurance
\ncompanies don’t want to pay the fees. Others are saying science is showing more
\ntoday and … well, here’s stuff from The Washington Post.<\/a>..<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

What do you think about these changes? Any stories to tell?<\/b><\/i><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n

One side, this is a
\nbad move<\/span><\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n

“We can’t allow
\nthe insurance industry to continue to drive health-care decisions,”
\nsaid Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz<\/span><\/a> (D-Fla.),
\nwho said earlier this year that she had undergone treatment for breast cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n

The recommendations
\nalso garnered harsh criticism from powerful medical groups including the
\nAmerican Cancer Society — which says it will continue to recommend regular
\nmammograms for women older than 40 — and the Access to Medical Imaging
\nCoalition, which warned that the findings would “turn back the clock on
\nthe war on breast cancer.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“The only
\nconclusion I can come to is it’s economically motivated,” said Carol H.
\nLee, who chairs the American College of Radiology’s breast-imaging commission.
\n“In this climate, when we are all paying attention to how we can decrease
\nthe cost of health care, in my opinion that’s the primary motivation.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 On the other side,
\nthis is good move:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But Ned Calonge, who
\nchairs the 16-member panel, defended the recommendations and denied that cost
\nor the debate over health-care reform played any role in the decision.
\n“Cost just isn’t a consideration when the task force deliberates,”
\nsaid Calonge, who is also the chief medical officer for the Colorado Department
\nof Public Health and Environment. Twelve of the task force members were seated
\nduring the Bush administration, and the remaining four were chosen before
\nPresident George W. Bush left office, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

To conduct the
\nreview, Heidi D. Nelson of the Oregon Health & Science University in
\nPortland led an analysis of data from more than 40 studies, including a new
\nBritish study involving more than 160,000 women and data collected from more
\nthan 600,000 women in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, the task
\nforce commissioned an unusual study led by Jeanne S. Mandelblatt of the
\nGeorgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and funded by the National
\nCancer Institute that involved six separate teams of researchers analyzing the
\nrisks and benefits of 20 screening strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I think anytime you use science
\nto kind of fundamentally change what people are used to, I think it’s a
\ndifficult thing to grapple with,” Calonge said of the new guidelines.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All is well, but Kris recently went through her annual mammogram, the discovery of a change from last year with development of a cluster of microcalcifications, another mammogram and a consultation, and then a biopsy and a consultation with the radiologist to be given a clean bill of health. Whew! As her husband, the days…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-public-issues"],"yoast_head":"\nMammogram Testing Changes - Jesus Creed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2009\/11\/mammogram-testing-changes.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mammogram Testing Changes - Jesus Creed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"All is well, but Kris recently went through her annual mammogram, the discovery of a change from last year with development of a cluster of microcalcifications, another mammogram and a consultation, and then a biopsy and a consultation with the radiologist to be given a clean bill of health. 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