OH Woman Knows Value of Breast Cancer Screening

Just because a woman has a mammogram that shows she has no cancer, this is no reason to be less than diligent about having them on a regular basis.  No one knows the importance of breast cancer screenings than "Brenda L." from Ohio.

Over a period of about 12 years, Brenda developed cysts in both breasts that ultimately aspirated.  The fluid in these cysts was consistently found to be non-cancerous; even though the news was good, Brenda had aggressive follow up each time a cyst was found.  She went back to her doctor monthly, then quarterly, then finally, twice a year.  She never went longer than six months without a mammogram and a manual breast check.

About three months after a negative mammogram, Brenda discovered blood on her sheets and nightgown coming from her left nipple.  She went on to work with a panti-liner in her bra, then mentioned the problem to her boss.  She had just relocated to another city and had not yet found a doctor.  Her boss began making calls immediately and got her in to see a gynecologist/oncologist that very day; he discovered a cancerous tumor in her breast the size of a tangerine.

Although Brenda's story is radical, it nonetheless illustrates just how important regular breast cancer screening can be.
 
Yet, despite the strides made in breast cancer awareness through efforts by the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen foundation, breast cancer screening has leveled off during the last decade, according to the CDC.

The agency gathered data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and found that in 2008, the prevalence of breast cancer screening was 81.1%, while in 2006, it was 81.5%.  The CDC also discovered the lowest prevalence of mammography is among women aged 50-59; 7 million women in this age category said they hadn’t had a mammogram within the last two years.  The greatest concentration of breast cancer screenings are in the northeastern United States. 

In a press release, CDC director Thomas Frieden, MD estimates that 12,000 lives are saved each year from mammography.  However, in looking at the statistics, it’s clear that many more women could avoid a death sentence simply by taking the time to have a mammogram.

Food Consumer has published the entire report, which can be found at www.foodconsumer.org.