When I heard the news that the American Cancer Society revised its guidelines for mammograms and clinical breast exams I thought about my friend Julie. She was diagnosed at the age of 44 with stage 4 breast cancer and died two years later. No family history; average risk. A mammogram found Julie’s tumor. Under the new guidelines Julie may not have had that mammogram. Neither would have other women I know diagnosed in their early 40s with early stage breast cancer who are still alive thanks to early detection. Despite criticisms that mammograms can result in false positive reports, especially for younger women who
Read more →