Help rescind new guidelines for mammography

[Pam Schmid]

When I saw the headlines in USA Today on Tuesday morning (Nov. 17), I was in shock. I was in Washington DC attending a cancer event and caught the headlines on the way out the door. I was outraged, to put it mildly, and couldn't believe what I was reading. It went against every expert opinion or study I had come to know and trust.

After my diagnosis of breast cancer in 2004, I spent a lot of time researching how we detect breast cancer, because I had four large tumors that were not visible on a mammogram AND I was not at risk. I spoke to leading researchers at major institutions and created a web site to share what I had learned with their help. Before I go any further, just let me say that the mammogram picked up important changes that led to self breast exam, which led to further imaging with ultrasound, and eventually MRI. You can read more of those details in my story, but for this blog I just want to share some important facts you need to know.

The American College of Radiology, made up of professionals in the field of imaging are calling for those guidelines from USPSTF be rescinded (see statement here). A great interview with Dr. Daniel Kopans from Harvard Medical School on CNN (transcript here), said he knew all the experts and researchers in the field around the world and he didn't know any of these people. Personally, I want to know how this could happen. How can we let people who are not the experts in detecting and treating cancer, set guidelines that have such far reaching importance?

Lest you think it will all be resolved because major cancer institutions, organizations, and oncology professionals are against them, the damage has been done. Women were canceling mammography appointments at 3x the normal rate and one woman canceled her surgery for removing a breast cancer, because she somehow felt it must not have been significant because she was in her 40's!!! ?????? Makes no sense, but that's what happened as reported on ABC (see video of report here). ACR reports that thousands of women will die needlessly or have to go through aggressive treatment because the cancer was not detected early, because of these guidelines. See their response here.

Please tell every woman you know to IGNORE the guidelines set forth by this USPSTF and call their congressmen to ask for these guidelines to be rescinded. You can find your representatives at these links for the senate and house SENATE and HOUSE .

Thank you!!!!

To learn more about the detecting cancer in women with dense breasts click here ...

And to read more about my story click here

[Laurie]

Thank you for all the information in your post! I have been stomping around since I heard this, and then once again now they are wanting to change when to start having pap tests. To hold off until age 21???? CNN had a great interview with Sanjai Gupta (forgive spelling) as he interviewed a person from the task force about mamagram screening ages, found out she was a nurse hired into this position and is heading up this task force, which made this decision. I was grateful to watch Sanjai take her too the ground and have her speechless, and uncapable of answering any questions he asked of her. These type of decisions will take us back 40 years.

G-d Bless you Pam, thank you for sharing your story!
Laurie

[Jane Ali]

Thanks Pam, you said it so well.

[Suzanne Lindley]

I'm with you!!! Great post.....as we were at Kaleidoscope when news was breaking, it was a shock. Knowing your story makes it even harder to digest.

Lots of work to do!!