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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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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Diagnosed with Breast Cancer at Age 29, Lori Kennedy Shares Her Story 20 Years Later
November 21st, 2011
Looking at her today, you’d never guess that my mom friend Lori Kennedy had been through the gauntlet of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment at the age of 29. A mutual friend introduced us several years ago, and after Lori learned that my field is breast imaging, she mentioned that she’d had breast cancer years before. I was intrigued by her story, and thought it would be helpful to share in “The Breast Diaries.”
The Shock of Diagnosis
In April of 1992 Lori was 29 years old, living the single life in Hoboken and working successfully in sales. She had been…
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Response to NY Times article: Mammogram’s Role as Savior Is Tested
November 2nd, 2011
Tara Parker-Pope’s recent article in the New York Times Science Section discounts the role of mammography as an essential tool in the quest to save women from premature death due to breast cancer. She reports on the conclusion drawn by researchers Welch and Frankel from Dartmouth, who published a statistical analysis using epidemiologic data and computer software in this article in Archives of Internal Medicine this month. Their conclusion: “Most women with screen-detected breast cancer have not had their life saved by screening. They are instead…
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Persistent Patient Prevails Against Insurance Company
September 26th, 2011
This 49-year-old woman had cancer in her left breast a few years ago, and was treated with a left lumpectomy and radiation therapy. Worried that the cancer would come back and be found too late in her dense breasts, she’d heard about breast MRI in her survivors’ support group, and decided to ask her doctor to send her for one. Her doctor agreed, and gave her a prescription for the test. But her insurance company didn’t approve it, even though her doctor ordered it.
The insurance clerk she spoke with after she was notified of the denial told her she didn’t need to …
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What Breast Density Means to You
September 16th, 2011
Breast density is one of the strongest predictors of the failure of mammography to detect cancer. About half of women younger than 50 are dense, and 1/3 of women over 50 are dense. That’s a large number of women for whom mammography alone is not enough. Up to half of breast cancers cannot be seen on the mammogram in women with dense breasts. This leads to missed cancers that are discovered at later stages, resulting in more invasive treatments and a poorer prognosis. 40,000 women in the U.S. die each year from breast cancer. Some of these women had dense breasts and didn’t…
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How Do I Know If I’m High Risk?
September 16th, 2011
If any of the following risk factors apply to you, you might be at high risk. Talk to your doctor:
- Do you have a family history of breast cancer (both your mother and your father’s sides count!)? The highest risk is if you have a mother, sister, daughter, father, brother or son with breast cancer. But other relatives– grandparents, aunts, cousins– are important to consider as well.
- Have you had breast cancer yourself in the past? If so, you have 10x the risk of the average woman for developing a new cancer.
- Do you have dense breasts? (“What
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