Sign the Petition Against the new Mammography Guidelines
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Melissa L. - DX Age 48 - IDC Stage IIA - scheduled mammogram due to pain in breast. Susan Love's book went out with the weekly trash today.
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I saw this on "Good Morning America". I agree with Dr. Weis. It can't hurt to start screening early; otherwise young women might miss early signs and necessary treatment. While I admire Dr. Susan Love and read her book when I was diagnosed six years ago, I think she's wrong to push the screening age to 50.
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Diagnosed Age 53, I could feel nothing. Mammogram was the only way I knew about it. Diagnosed with Stage 3 IDC, DCIS, with lymph node involvement.
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If the new Mammography Guidelines had been in effect the year I was diagnosed, I would likely be dead. I was 46 years old, with a tumor that was so far back in my breast it could not be felt. However, it was seen in the mammogram. I am 53 years old now, 6.5 years past treatment, and doing fine.
I am against these new guidelines, based on a monetary calculation, instead of focusing on saving women's lives.
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38 when diagnosed, with no family history!!
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DX at 43....triple negative...Mammogram saved my life from a fast growing tumor! To quote a talk show host....the new recommendation is 'female genocide.'
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45 at diagnosis. Found lump through self-exam. Annual mammo done 9 mos. earlier was clear.
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No family history. Found lump age 45, mammogram did not find it 9 months earlier. Went for another mammo... the new digital one and it confirmed spiculated mass.
When my daughter turns 30, I will encourage her to have a mammo early. There will be too many lives lost if things are changed.
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Sandra Lavengood, diagnosed with Stage II IDC after just turning age 35. I found the lump myself and although my gyn strongly believed it was "just a cyst," fortunately he urged me to have a mammogram to be sure. He was shocked when it turned out to be malignant. I had no family history and I'm thankful for an aggressive gyn and medical oncologist. I was borderline for chemo, but my onc strongly urged me to have it based on my very negative ER/PR. I was fine for a number of years, then had another new primary at age 51, a second mast, more chemo, and radiation. I'm now 58 and NED.
I worry a lot about my daughter getting BC. She finally had a screening mammogram at age 30 and I was so thankful when it was clear.
I'm horrified at the new guidelines.
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DX at age 57 by routine mammogram. Tumor 1.3 cm, micrometastis in sentinel node. The surgeon was the only one who could feel the lump, and that was with the assistance of ultrasound.
I had mammograms annually since age 40, and mammo was clean at age 56. What would have happened if I skipped the age 57 mammo and waited till age 58?
I don't often get het up over things, but the possibility of these new guidelines being widely accepted makes me furious to the point of tears!
And now I'm going to email my daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, nieces, etc., to share my concern.
MartyS
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Eileen M - diagnosed early stage <1 cm ILC tumor at age 45 by annual screening mammogram. No risk factors other than no children. Lump was NOT palpable by me or any doctor I saw. Average size of ILC tumor when palpable is 5 cm. With the new screening guidelines I probably would have progressed to 5 cm by time of detection, drastically altering my chances of survival.
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For myself - diagnosed age 44
For my sister - diagnosed age 39
For my sister - diagnosed age 40
And NO FAMILY HISTORY! Mammograms saved our lives!
Lila
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Allison A., dx age 38 and discovered via BSE. Now age 42 and just found out that it has come back... PET scan this morning, awaiting more info... If only mammograms were done at an earlier age!! I don't understand why the government is spending its time telling us not to diagnosed, instead of making early diagnostics affordable and commonplace. This is a step backward for "world-class health care."
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First mammo age 40(digital) found a small area of calcification's. I had widespread grade 3 DCIS. I wonder if I would have lived to age 50 if not found at such an early stage. I had no symptoms, and no family history.
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Diagnosed in left breast with a (.5 cm) cancer with a mammogram at 51-1/2 years old. They saw two suspicious circles of calcifications and did a biopsy that confirmed it followed with a lumpectomy at the same time. About 2 months later after changing surgeons it took an MRI to find the second cancer in the other breast (1.5 cm) which was twice as large and invasive. How could a mammogram miss that second one? I was very fortunate that my second surgeon ordered a MRI on both breasts. Have had mammograms since I was 40, no family history of breast cancer and I don't have the gene. Thanks to the early diagnosis I was able to have two lumpectomies and no nodes involved! I'm concerned that this will lead to less MRI's which probably saved my life. I know the mammogram saved my life period.
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Diagnosed in left breast with stage one (.5 cm) cancer with a mammogram at 51-1/2 years old. They saw two suspicious circles of calcifications and did a biopsy that confirmed it followed with a lumpectomy at the same time. About 2 months later after changing surgeons it took an MRI to find the second cancer in the other breast (1.5 cm) which was twice as large and invasive. How could a mammogram miss that second one? I was very fortunate that my second surgeon ordered a MRI on both breasts. Have had mammograms since I was 40, no family history of breast cancer and I don't have the gene. Thanks to the early diagnosis I was able to have two lumpectomies and no nodes involved! I'm concerned that this will lead to less MRI's which probably saved my life. I know the mammogram saved my life period.
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Sonya C - diagnosed with super-aggressive triple negative 5-centimeter breast cancer at age 39! No family history and no known risk factors. Screening mammograms need to be started EARLIER, not LATER!
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Caryn Rosenberg -- first diagnosed at age 42. Found via routine mammogram. Recurrence at age 47, Stage IV. Still fighting.
If I'd been forced to wait til I was 50 for a mammogram, I'd be dead now.
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Lauren, age 32 at diagnosis, found the lump myself. Without question would not have made it to age 50. Not considered high risk.
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Bobbi--first diagnosed with mammogram at age 49. Cancer detected before spread to lypmhatics or elsewhere!! Second diagnosis at age 63. Same breast, same outcome. Mammograms served me well, twice.
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This report is bad medicine. It advises women to skip self breast exams and that they forgo mammograms to screen for breast cancer. That leaves NO option for early diagnosis. Although early detection has been proven to save lives the panel has calculated that the thousands of lives saved would not be worth the cost of screening the population.
I am a two year survivior who was diagnosed at 42 with stage 2 DC including lymph node involvement. My treatments were bi-lat mastectomy, auxillary disection, chemo, radiation. No family history of breast cancer at the time of diagnoses.
We who have survived must beat the drum and advocate against this step backwards in the fight against breast cancer (and all cancers) .
Catherine Snow
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Peggy Martin, diagnosed of agressive breast cancer at 44 by routine mammogram - no palpable lump.
Edited to add: Actually, I'm from Canada so probably this doesn't count
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Lisa McAllister initial stage IV diagnosis (her2+) at age 44 - found lump by self exam.
No family history, BRCA negative.
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Dx at 46 after SELF breast exam found the lump. I had "lumpy" breasts. I would not have been taken seriously if previous mammos had not been available to compare.
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Diagnosed at 44. Slight pain in right breast led to my request for a mammogram which detected grade 3 DCIS in left breast directly opposite of where pain was in my right. My right was clear and an MRI confirmed there was no cancer in the right. Doctors said I was lucky that my left was detected early since the type is very aggressive (grade 3). Lump was NOT palpable by me or my OBGYN.
I am shocked and saddened to hear that they might change the standards for mammograms and detecting BC. I think if the standard becomes women at 50 getting annual mammograms, it will result in more BC deaths. I hear and meet so many women under 50 getting it. I think it is a way to lower healthcare costs and is in the interest of insurance companies, but unfortunately it will come at the expense of women suffering and dying since BC will probably be detected later than sooner. I'm appalled and want to start a petition or something to block them from changing the standards.
If the standards change, I will pray for all women who might have to fight to get a mammogram, an MRI, ultrasound or biopsy.
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Diagnosed at 36 with invasive ductal. The task force also says that breast self-exams have no value. I found my cancer by accident. I have no family history. Maybe it wouldn't have made much difference for me in my treatment if I'd found it by a BSE a couple of months earlier, but I probably wouldn't have made it to 40 if I hadn't found it when I did.
I now tell every woman I know, especially those under 40, to do regular BSEs. I'd encourage everyone to contact their congressmen & senators as well as President Obama and tell them what you think of these recommendations.
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Bonnie Z,, age 42 a DX - no family history, found a lump on a self exam, confirmed by mamogram and later, core biopsy. BRACA-
On behalf of my friend Roberta Munroe, who is unable to sign for herself because she did not survive her diagnosis of Breast Cancer. She was diagnosed at age 38 and died at the age of 40. she found her lump on a self exam.
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Susan Kulungian, age 44 when diagnosed. No family history. If it wasn't for those calcifications showing up and pushing me to self exam (and find a lump) then the cancer would have gone undetected for years. If I waited until I was 50, I don't think I would have survived.
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Diagnosed at 52. Lump found on exam. I am disgusted by this government study which is how things will be if we have government run care rationing. Yes, rationing of our health care to save money. It's all about the money.
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Iris Nolan,mammogram spotted benign node in left breast(early 40s);vigilant with mammograms beginning at age 40. DCIS diagnosed in right breast at age 55...no close family members with breast cancer. Would most likely have never known anything was amiss(early)without mammograms. No siblings...no children...great health...no symptoms.Cancer runs in my family so I was my own proactive advocate and was fortunate to have health coverage.On behalf of all the valiant women/men I have met in the four years that I have been reading here.These are real people and are not statistics...3/100...how bizarre! Who gets to choose who the 3 % will be and how demeaning to all the many who have undergone treatments/all the families who have been affected. How does one say to another person,you are just a statistic?Very disturbing news!IrisEdited to correct date of node detected in my 40s.0
