MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'breast cancer screening'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:11:29 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050578&cid=t_139203_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-rise-in-cancer-rates-may-not-mean-more-cancer%2F2011.07.21 Several newspapers in the UK reported this week that cancer rates have risen over the past two decades. That set into motion an analysis by the excellent “Behind the Headlines” service offered by the NHS Choices website. They found this in newspapers: “Cancer rates in the middle-aged “have jumped by almost a fifth in a generation”, according to The Daily Telegraph, which says that the increase “is thought to be mainly due to better detection of cancers rather than people adopting more unhealthy lifestyles”. The Sun takes the alternate view, saying that doctors are “blaming the rise on obesity and home boozing”. The Daily Mail similarly suggests that lifestyle changes are to blame.” You don’t have to live in the UK to learn f... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050578 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:00:13 +0100 5050578 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008550&cid=t_139203_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fthe-best-evidence-says-mammograms-should-begin-at-age-forty%2F There was much hoopla a few years ago over recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to limit mammography screening to women ages 50 to 74 every other year. But there is less fanfare over new findings coming out of a study in Sweden, which suggests that regular mammograms in women ages 40 to 49 (the age group excluded by the new task force guidelines) prevented up to 30 percent of deaths from breast cancer. People, this is significant! The task force ignored studies like these ongoing in Sweden and Canada for their model, which was based on statistical data. The Swedish mammogram study spanned 29 years and included over 130,000 women. The task force’s answer to recent studies has been to recommend a baseline mammogram for women in their forties to look at breast density,... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008550 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:39:24 +0100 5008550 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532213&cid=t_139203_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhow-experienced-is-the-radiologist-who-reads-your-mammogram%2F2011.02.28 There’s a new study out on mammography with important implications for breast cancer screening. The main result is that when radiologists review more mammograms per year, the rate of false positives declines. The stated purpose of the research*, published in the journal Radiology, was to see how radiologists’ interpretive volume — essentially the number of mammograms read per year — affects their performance in breast cancer screening. The investigators collected data from six registries participating in the NCI’s Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, involving 120 radiologists who interpreted 783,965 screening mammograms from 2002 to 2006. So it was a big study, at least in terms of the number of images and outcomes assessed. First — and before reaching any concl... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532213 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:00:57 +0100 4532213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4470411&cid=t_139203_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-video-poem-medical-tests-and-what-normal-means%2F2011.02.12 I’ve written a few times about Veneta Masson, a nurse practitioner who wrote in Health Affairs and the Washington Post about her decision to forego further mammograms despite the fact that she was in a higher-risk category. Veneta is also a poet. She sent me a video animation of her poem “Reference Range,” which I’m pleased to share with you. I think the poem and the video are beautiful, touching on important issues of how meaningless numbers and scores may be, subject to misinterpretation. She writes: I see no cause for alarm. “Is it normal?” you ask. Normal’s a shell game you seldom win. *This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4470411 Sat, 12 Feb 2011 17:00:04 +0100 4470411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399560&cid=t_139203_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSutureForALiving%2F%7E3%2FtVdI1tBW4Tk%2Fuspstf-breast-screening-guidelines.html The question continues as to when breast screening should begin.  The current pushback comes from radiologists Dr. Mark Helvie of the University of Michigan Health System and colleague Dr. Edward Hendrick of the University of Colorado. The two researchers have published an article (full reference below) in the February issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology questioning the U.S. advisory panel’s breast cancer screening guidelines and suggesting the panel ignored scientific evidence that more frequent mammograms save lives. For the article, the two conducted a review of the risk models used by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to issue controversial breast screening guidelines in 2009.  They used Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network modeli... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399560 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:51:00 +0100 4399560 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4304878&cid=t_139203_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-cancer-hits-a-doctors-home%2F2011.01.02 This year has been a weird one for me and cancer. In the ER, we see cancer patients pretty infrequently. The occasional chemotherapy with fever, but that’s about it. I think the oncologists try hard to keep the patients out of the ER — to everybody’s benefit. But this year, I’ve had a weird rash of cases where I’ve made primary diagnoses of cancer in the ER — several times over and over and over again. In ten years I don’t think I’ve made as many cancer diagnoses as I have this year alone. Just very strange. Unfortunately, it came home to roost. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer last week. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4304878 Sun, 02 Jan 2011 22:00:00 +0100 4304878 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4053290&cid=t_139203_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmammogram-parties-have-a-mammogram-get-flowers-and-chocolates%2F2010.10.09 The Chicago Tribune reports on mammogram marketing tactics being used across the U.S. — some of it apparently to “woo women back to the imaging room” after confusion over conflicting advice about breast cancer screening. Yes, the tactics include “mammogram parties” offering chocolate fondue, massages, beauty consultations, wine, cheese, roses, and weekend-getaway spa packages. But there’s another side to this, the Tribune reports: Simply inviting women to “mammogram parties,” could send the wrong message, said Lynne Hildreth, department administrator of women’s oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. …”Mammograms are a medical test, and to treat it like a haircut overlooks that there are very real risks,” said Hild... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4053290 Sat, 09 Oct 2010 23:00:08 +0100 4053290 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4036649&cid=t_139203_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhow-the-swedish-mammography-study-shouldve-been-analyzed%2F2010.10.05 We reviewed four stories on the Swedish mammography study that appeared in the journal Cancer last week. Three of the four stories gave a pretty clear indication that there were methodological concerns about the Swedish research (of the four reviewed, only HealthDay offered no such hint): • 4th paragraph of AP story: “The new study has major limitations and cannot account for possibly big differences in the groups of women it compares.” • 1st paragraph of LA Times blog story: “Critics charged that the study was poorly designed and potentially vastly misleading.” • 2nd sentence of NY Times story: “Results were greeted with skepticism by some experts who say they may have overestimated the benefit.” But none of the stories did a very complete job of ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4036649 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 20:00:34 +0100 4036649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3961813&cid=t_139203_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmammography-wars-an-important-discussion-to-keep-alive%2F2010.09.12 This is a thoughtful “sounding board” piece in the New England Journal of Medicine this week: Lessons from the Mammography Wars. It is so important to keep this discussion alive. The miscommunication that took place last November of what the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force tried to convey, and the complicity of some news organizations in adding to that confusion, provide lessons from which we simply must learn to do better. *This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3961813 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 03:26:23 +0100 3961813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3632266&cid=t_139203_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmammography-and-jack-blacks-boob-saver-5k%2F2010.06.04 This video has been available for months, but I just saw it for the first time. I suspect many women would get a chuckle from seeing the always buffed, ripped, and jacked comedian Jack Black partially disrobe to put his breast in a mammography machine — or as he calls it, the “Boob Saver 5K.” *This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3632266 Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:00:34 +0100 3632266 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3408680&cid=t_139203_167_f&fid=38576&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drbriffa.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2F26%2Fbmj-piece-asks-serious-questions-about-the-effectiveness-of-mammography%2F Last week one of my blogs focused on prostate cancer screening, and specifically the prostatic specific antigen (‘PSA’) test. For a variety of reasons, the doctor who discovered PSA says the practice of using it to detect cancer should be stopped. In that post, I mentioned that doubts have also previously been raised about the [...] (Source: Dr John Biffa's Blog) Dr John Biffa's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3408680 Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:47:15 +0100 3408680 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3092900&cid=t_139203_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fone-last-fling.html Cancer is really cool in one, specific way: it slows time, crystallizing life in the still frames, making each moment sweeter and more precious. When life is good, life is really, really good. It's that old dog, Perspective, barking at my door. One last day to soak up my kids, one last day to make everything count. One last day to make memories. It always feels like it could be the last day of your life, as you pack your bags and their bags so that you can be apart for a week just before Christmas. It brings home the reality that you've been ignoring for the past three months: But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. (Mark 13:32)Rosenmunnar: an old Swedish recipe that has only three ingredients: 1 cup butter, 1/2... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3092900 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:55:00 +0100 3092900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3019205&cid=t_139203_136_f&fid=38061&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBreastCancerReconstructionBlog%2F%7E3%2F0lpNqFbIHA8%2Fmammogram-screening-for-breast-cancer.html The current mammogram screening recommendation put forward by the American Cancer Society is for yearly mammograms for all women aged 40 years and older. Women with a strong family history of breast cancer are urged to start mammogram screening from the age of 35. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a government-appointed expert panel, recently made new recommendations for mammogram screening for breast cancer: Women between 40 and 49 years old should not be having routine screening mammograms.  Instead, they say that women should make an informed decision about screening mammography before 50, and weigh their potential risks and benefits with their doctors. Women who are 50 to 74 years old should be having a screening mammogram every other year (not yearly), because t... Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3019205 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:39:52 +0100 3019205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3008038&cid=t_139203_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annals.org%2Fcontent%2Fsuppl%2F2009%2F11%2F17%2F151.10.DC1%2Fannals_20091117.mp3 Kaleidoscope is a new series, with a “kaleidoscope” of facts, findings, views and news gathered over the last 1-2 weeks. Most items originate from Twitter, my Google Reader (RSS) and sometimes real articles (yeah!). I read a lot, I bookmark a lot, but only some of those things end op in a post. Since tweets have [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3008038 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:44:07 +0100 3008038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3003685&cid=t_139203_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F18%2Fdirect-link-to-the-breast-cancer-screening-recommendations-that-have-been-in-the-news%2F U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Screening for Breast Cancer Release Date: November 2009 The following bullet points are copy/pasted from the page, but more explanation of the recommendations and how “strong” they each are is available in the supporting documents. Summary of Recommendations The USPSTF recommends against routine screening mammography in women aged 40 to 49 years. The decision to start regular, biennial screening mammography before the age of 50 years should be an individual one and take patient context into account, including the patient’s values regarding specific benefits and harms. The USPSTF recommends biennial screening mammography for women aged 50 to 74 years. The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the additiona... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3003685 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:53:37 +0100 3003685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2999778&cid=t_139203_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Flimiting-breast-cancer-screening-is-an-assault-against-women%2F There is no question more women than ever before are surviving breast cancer. This is happening because of early screening and better and more aggressive treatment. So I was absolutely shocked today to hear that the United States Preventive Services Task Force (a committee appointed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) is now recommending that women do not get regular mammograms until their fifties and even then limit screening to every other year. In addition they are suggesting that breast self exams not be taught. ARE THEY CRAZY? There is no way to completely express my feelings about this. I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at the age of 44, and the tumor was discovered through self breast exam and confirmed through a mammogram. This was only 18 months since a p... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2999778 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:25:20 +0100 2999778 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2862716&cid=t_139203_136_f&fid=38061&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBreastCancerReconstructionBlog%2F%7E3%2FKhQK7csAF_E%2Fcan-breast-cancer-be-found-early.html Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations from the American Cancer SocietyScreening refers to tests and exams used to find a disease, such as cancer, in people who do not have any symptoms. The goal of screening exams, such as mammograms, is to find cancers before they start to cause symptoms. Breast cancers that are found because they can be felt tend to be larger and are more likely to have already spread beyond the breast. In contrast, breast cancers found during screening exams are more likely to be small and still confined to the breast. The size of a breast cancer and how far it has spread are important factors in predicting the prognosis (survival outlook) for a woman with this disease.Most doctors feel that early detection tests for breast cancer save many thousands of lives each yea... Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2862716 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:31:53 +0100 2862716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2277206&cid=t_139203_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fhow-to-get-a-mammogram-if-you-cant-afford-one%2F My husband and I really enjoy grocery shopping together. Yesterday we spent some time going through our huge supermarket and kept adjusting our meal plans based on some of the high prices and choosing sale items instead. A lot of American families are doing this right now. Fortunately, our main chain originates in Michigan and is trying to accommodate the shrinking budgets of families here. Trying to balance food, bills, utilities and health costs for a family is placing huge strain on households throughout the nation. Not many household budgets today include screening for a mammogram. I think a lot of women are forgoing important tests so they can feed their kids, and you can’t blame them. I had to rethink my blog of Friday urging everyone to tell someone to get a mammogram. It occurred... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2277206 Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:06:41 +0100 2277206 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2263929&cid=t_139203_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fjade-goody-lessons-to-be-learnt.html Details of the tragedy of Jade Goody have now reached the United States. As so often via Kevin, (and if you ever want a quick overview on what is happening in the USA medical world, Kevin MD should be your first port of call) I arrive at a thoughtful, though in places wildly incorrect, article by Dr Margaret Poplaneczky an American physician and gourmet who lives, works and cooks in New York. She writes the excellent “Blog that ate Manhattan”Margaret writes sympathetically about Jade.Whatever you think of Jade, the publicity generated by her illness has led to a 20% upswing in the number of women getting Pap smears in Britain.And this is a good thing. Because if Jade's story causes even one young woman to get the smear that saves her life, it will mean Jade’s death will not have been... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2263929 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:57:00 +0100 2263929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2204977&cid=t_139203_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fjade-goody-professor-michael-baum.html Jade Goody & Professor Michael BaumThe media loves nothing more than building something up only to knock it down again. Occasionally, it will do the opposite. Jade Goody provides the classic example. She has been universally derided by the media for years but now, because she is seriously ill, suddenly she can do no wrong. Private Eye has long been aware of this phenomenon :Private EyeEven cynical old Dr Crippen has been taken aback by the obvious hand-rubbing pleasure that the main-stream media has taken in jumping on the “let’s criticise the breast screening programme” bandwagon. It all comes courtesy of Mike Baum. I know Mike Baum. Once upon a time, Mrs Crippen was a hospital registrar and worked closely with him. Make no mistake, Professor Michael Baum is one of the most ou... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2204977 Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:04:00 +0100 2204977 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1696483&cid=t_139203_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fbreast-cancer%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbrilliant-idea-universal-screening-for-breast-cancer%2F It is still baffling to me that in other countries like Norway, Canada and France, every woman can be screened regularly for breast cancer. Right now with the treatment options that are available like surgery and chemotherapy, detecting breast cancer early is key to surviving the disease. So doesn’t it make sense that every woman over the age of 40 be given the opportunity to get regular screening? You would think the richest most powerful country in the world would have been one of the first to figure that out. When women in Canada and Norway are living to an average age of 83 and women in France to 84, isn’t it a red flag that in the United States the life expectancy of women is only 80? (Life expectancy estimates for 2007, according to the Population Reference Bureau). One o... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1696483 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:48:39 +0100 1696483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=795094&cid=t_139203_87_f&fid=34865&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecancerblog.com%2F2007%2F08%2F13%2Fpreventative-steps-could-save-100-000-lives%2F Filed under: Prevention, Research, Daily newsIncreased use of five preventative services would save more than 100,000 lives in the U.S. every year, according to Partnership for Prevention, a nonprofit health policy group.The services and behaviors are taking a low dose of aspirin every day for the prevention of heart disease, offering more services to help smokers quit, offering more colorectal and breast cancer screenings and offering flu shots for those over 50.The report also uncovered racial disparities in the use of preventative care. For example, Hispanic smokers are 55 percent less likely than whites to get help to quit smoking and Asian-Americans are the least likely to take aspirin and get screened for breast and colorectal cancer.The study found that 42,000 lives a year would be ... The Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=795094 Mon, 13 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 795094