The Breast Diaries
Stacey is also a guest blogger at KevinMD.com. Check out her latest post here!
How to Find a “Good” Breast Imaging Center
April 17th, 2012
I’ve received several inquiries from women living in various regions of the country, asking how they should choose where to go for their mammogram, and if it really matters. I cannot emphasize this enough: It matters! Here are a few tips to help your search:
- The most basic requirement is whether a facility is accredited under the MQSA (Mammography Quality Standards Act). The accrediting body for most states is the ACR (American College of Radiology), which has a list of requirements and tests that facilities must comply with in order for the centers
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A Minute Well Spent: Sign up for a (Free) Mammogram Reminder
April 3rd, 2012
A woman in her 40′s feels an odd thickening in her breast one day while taking a shower. She calls her doctor, who immediately refers her to a radiology practice for a diagnostic mammogram and sonogram. The patient asks her doctor to check her chart and tell her when she had her last screening mammogram; she thinks it was maybe just over a year ago. Her life is extremely busy, and with four children ranging in ages from 5 to 17, she’s not always able to keep track of her own medical appointments. The doctor tells her that her last mammogram was actually…
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8 Reasons to Choose the Needle If You Need a Breast Biopsy
March 14th, 2012
While killing time in foils under the dryer at my favorite hair salon, I was flipping through the October 2011 issue of Vogue and came across an interesting article, “Breast Check” by Elizabeth Weil. Weil discusses the experience of her sister-in-law Kelly, who felt a lump in her breast that required a biopsy. Kelly’s doctor performed an open surgical biopsy, and the results were benign (no cancer!). Although relieved, the author wondered why Kelly was not sent to a radiologist for a needle biopsy (as in the example image above), and instead…
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First, Do No Harm: The Spectacular Failure of a Government Panel
February 28th, 2012
As a veteran of World War II, my grandfather was a GI Bill success story, the first man to go to college from his impoverished neighborhood in Jersey City thanks to government at its finest. A card-carrying member of the state teachers’ union, and a politically active Democrat for most of his life, it came as something of a shock to me when, after a few decades of observing big government debacles, my grandfather became one of Ronald Reagan’s most ardent fans. I still remember his delight over the classic Reaganism, “The nine most terrifying words in the …
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Latest Post in the Atlantic
February 16th, 2012
Be sure to check out my full post in the Atlantic for some strategies for avoiding breast cancer.
I wear my seatbelt, get my flu shot, wash and sanitize my hands, wear sunscreen, scrub the fruits and veggies clean, look both ways when I cross the street, and never take candy from strangers. But what can I do to protect myself (and my family) from the single most common cause of death among women in my own age group, 35 to 50 years old? Here are a few evidence-based strategies to increase your odds of avoiding advanced breast cancer.…
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Featured Expert for Talk About Health Forum
February 9th, 2012
I was asked to serve as the expert this week for Talk About Health‘s online forum. Follow the link for my answers to questions regarding early detection, lowering risk for breast cancer, needle biopsies, preparing for a mammogram and more.…
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Lobbying the FDA to Mandate Breast Density Notification
February 8th, 2012
In November I traveled to DC to issue a statement to the FDA advisory committee regarding breast density. Several radiologists, breast cancer patients and advocates, representatives from the American College of Radiology, as well as Karen Handel from the Susan G. Komen foundation were on hand to render opinions regarding a new rule being considered by the FDA, which would mandate the inclusion of breast density information in the official mammogram report that goes to the referring doctor, and that the radiology facility providing a mammogram would directly…
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Why I Chose to Become a Breast Imager
January 24th, 2012
A few days ago in the park I passed a woman who was sporting a full set of hair curlers and wearing a housecoat. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen that, and it brought an image to my mind of my grandmother and her sisters in their rollers under headscarves in the 70’s, leaning from windows to hang laundry to dry on their retractable clotheslines in Jersey City. Fond memories of these ladies surfaced, and I thought about an essay I’d written in which they’d been featured; several of these great-aunts died prematurely from breast cancer, before adequate screening…
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Good News For Early Detection in New Jersey!
January 20th, 2012
Thanks to the tireless efforts of dedicated grassroots patient advocates, NJ State Senators Loretta Weinberg and Nia Gill have sponsored a bill that will be brought before the next legislative session. This bill requires that all mammogram reports contain information on breast density, and requires insurers to cover comprehensive breast ultrasound screening if a mammogram demonstrates dense breast tissue. Studies have shown that adding an ultrasound to the mammogram for women with dense breasts results in a 50% increase in breast cancer detection.…
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The Myth of the Negative Mammogram
January 9th, 2012
It is a scenario familiar to all breast imaging practices.
A patient feels a lump in her breast and calls her doctor. The doctor examines her, agrees that a lump is present, and refers the patient to a breast imaging facility for a diagnostic mammogram and breast ultrasound (also known as a sonogram). At her mammogram appointment, a little sticker is placed on the lump felt by the patient, and mammogram images are taken. Something may or may not be seen on the mammogram at the site of the lump. A breast sonogram is performed, and a suspicious mass is seen, clear …
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