Thank you for opening up this conversation. This is a highly charged topic and at the risk of outrage from people who may not appreciate expanded points of view, I feel it's important for me to share additional data. First, I do not dispute anyone who feels a mammogram may have saved their life, everyone has freedom to reach their own conclusions. Second, I experienced breast cancer over 5 yrs ago, stage 2, no mammograms were involved (and none since). Apart from an accumulation of radiation (which is not harmless to a breast being squashed into a pancake), I had been concerned with my dense breast situation AND fibrocystic breasts; mammograms would have been torture. Since the diagnosis (and a spectacular recovery from a mastectomy), I've been digging into everything I can about how/why cancer forms (and discovering a multitude of levers for prevention), the highly-nuanced notion that hormones are dangerous (if that were true, we would expect an influx of pregnant women to get breast cancer, which is a rarity, also read Estrogen Matters by oncologist Avrin Bluming for more data, and refer to the prolific research of Dr Lyndsey Berkson - BC history herself - on hormone benefits after BC), and so many other beliefs founded on info that is not black and white. It's heavily nuanced.
Regarding mammograms, I'd like to bring to the surface two large studies : the Cochrane study involving 600,000 women (Screening for breast cancer with mammography | Cochrane) concluded that screening didn’t reduce mortality but introduced more harm from overdiagnosis and overtreatment, and a Canadian study of 89,000 women reported in the British Medical Journal (Twenty five year follow-up for breast cancer incidence and mortality of the Canadian National Breast Screening Study: randomised screening trial | The BMJ), reaching the same conclusions. I found no shortage of studies with similar findings.
Again, I understand my comments could trigger people, but I am a breast cancer "insider", not sitting here from the safety of a non-cancer-experienced life, and I'd never tell anyone what they should or shouldn't do, but I do feel it's important that people be informed of the other evidence and arguments out there, and from other credentialed organizations that don't get the same amount of press.
Thank you for the thoughtfulness you put into this response. Inviting new information into your realm is easier when it's presented respectfully. I'm all for healthy discussion and exploring ideas that are new to me. An informed woman is a powerful woman.
I had not heard about this Cochrane study (or the others you mention) and spent a few minutes reading about it. I *think* the gist is that mammograms might cause more harm than good because they could detect abnormal cell growth, which, under normal circumstances, would never develop into cancer and would resolve on its own. This growth, however, would be seen as cancer, and the patient would be treated as such unnecessarily. Do I have that right?
I'm happy you've recovered - that's wonderful. Might I ask, how was the cancer you experienced diagnosed? How did you know to get a mastectomy?
I'm not a doctor and don't want to get into the weeds on the ins and outs, validity, etc., of these studies and books, but it looks like you've done a lot of research on this (and rightfully so!). Thanks for including the details so folks can go and read for themselves. I encourage everyone to talk to their doctor about options for both screening and diagnostics to find the path that's right for them. Whichever route you choose, it seems early detection is key to the best outcome. ❤️
Hi Sara - I appreciate your response! Yes overdiagnosis is essentially the gist of it but also, as you learned through two of your friends, cancer isn't necessarily linear. It doesn't seem to simply start as "stage 1" and progress to "stage 4" - it seems that it can appear as stage 4 immediately, or it can stay at the earlier stage indefinitely. The dilemma (in my mind) is with those early stages and knowing if ours is in the "manageable" state without extreme treatments (that destroy the body) but through holistic therapies (which go far beyond what most people think).
I discovered my case through self-exam and my decision on the mastectomy is a rather long story (and if I were to do this over again knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have done that). In fact, I have been working on a "teaching" memoir for past 1.5yrs to share all that I have learned (and keep learning) on why "healthy" people get cancer (because it's not genetics, as you may already have concluded) and it's so much more than diet and exercise. I am an extremely holistic-minded health fanatic and the cancer diagnosis was like getting smacked in the head with a 100-pound bag of avocados.
I want to share my story to show other women how to recognize their power and ability to manage their strategy, in order to lessen the fear that we are plunged into (and most of the doctors don't help ameliorate this!) I've written 300+ pages so far, as testament to how much thinking and reflecting and researching I've done! So with that said, I have notable passion around this entire subject. But I'd never tell anyone NOT to get a mastectomy, I just want women to have more information than they are given now when making their treatment decisions. Happy to discuss further if you like! (I am always looking for beta readers.....)
This was such a good read, especially the quotes from your readers. It's scary to know it can progress so quickly in some women.
My grandma was diagnosed in her 80s and had a mastectomy at 82!! I thought that felt rather late in life for breast cancer. Thankfully she was a tough old lady and lived til 94 😊
Nice
Thank you for opening up this conversation. This is a highly charged topic and at the risk of outrage from people who may not appreciate expanded points of view, I feel it's important for me to share additional data. First, I do not dispute anyone who feels a mammogram may have saved their life, everyone has freedom to reach their own conclusions. Second, I experienced breast cancer over 5 yrs ago, stage 2, no mammograms were involved (and none since). Apart from an accumulation of radiation (which is not harmless to a breast being squashed into a pancake), I had been concerned with my dense breast situation AND fibrocystic breasts; mammograms would have been torture. Since the diagnosis (and a spectacular recovery from a mastectomy), I've been digging into everything I can about how/why cancer forms (and discovering a multitude of levers for prevention), the highly-nuanced notion that hormones are dangerous (if that were true, we would expect an influx of pregnant women to get breast cancer, which is a rarity, also read Estrogen Matters by oncologist Avrin Bluming for more data, and refer to the prolific research of Dr Lyndsey Berkson - BC history herself - on hormone benefits after BC), and so many other beliefs founded on info that is not black and white. It's heavily nuanced.
Regarding mammograms, I'd like to bring to the surface two large studies : the Cochrane study involving 600,000 women (Screening for breast cancer with mammography | Cochrane) concluded that screening didn’t reduce mortality but introduced more harm from overdiagnosis and overtreatment, and a Canadian study of 89,000 women reported in the British Medical Journal (Twenty five year follow-up for breast cancer incidence and mortality of the Canadian National Breast Screening Study: randomised screening trial | The BMJ), reaching the same conclusions. I found no shortage of studies with similar findings.
Again, I understand my comments could trigger people, but I am a breast cancer "insider", not sitting here from the safety of a non-cancer-experienced life, and I'd never tell anyone what they should or shouldn't do, but I do feel it's important that people be informed of the other evidence and arguments out there, and from other credentialed organizations that don't get the same amount of press.
Thank you!
Thank you for the thoughtfulness you put into this response. Inviting new information into your realm is easier when it's presented respectfully. I'm all for healthy discussion and exploring ideas that are new to me. An informed woman is a powerful woman.
I had not heard about this Cochrane study (or the others you mention) and spent a few minutes reading about it. I *think* the gist is that mammograms might cause more harm than good because they could detect abnormal cell growth, which, under normal circumstances, would never develop into cancer and would resolve on its own. This growth, however, would be seen as cancer, and the patient would be treated as such unnecessarily. Do I have that right?
I'm happy you've recovered - that's wonderful. Might I ask, how was the cancer you experienced diagnosed? How did you know to get a mastectomy?
I'm not a doctor and don't want to get into the weeds on the ins and outs, validity, etc., of these studies and books, but it looks like you've done a lot of research on this (and rightfully so!). Thanks for including the details so folks can go and read for themselves. I encourage everyone to talk to their doctor about options for both screening and diagnostics to find the path that's right for them. Whichever route you choose, it seems early detection is key to the best outcome. ❤️
Hi Sara - I appreciate your response! Yes overdiagnosis is essentially the gist of it but also, as you learned through two of your friends, cancer isn't necessarily linear. It doesn't seem to simply start as "stage 1" and progress to "stage 4" - it seems that it can appear as stage 4 immediately, or it can stay at the earlier stage indefinitely. The dilemma (in my mind) is with those early stages and knowing if ours is in the "manageable" state without extreme treatments (that destroy the body) but through holistic therapies (which go far beyond what most people think).
I discovered my case through self-exam and my decision on the mastectomy is a rather long story (and if I were to do this over again knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have done that). In fact, I have been working on a "teaching" memoir for past 1.5yrs to share all that I have learned (and keep learning) on why "healthy" people get cancer (because it's not genetics, as you may already have concluded) and it's so much more than diet and exercise. I am an extremely holistic-minded health fanatic and the cancer diagnosis was like getting smacked in the head with a 100-pound bag of avocados.
I want to share my story to show other women how to recognize their power and ability to manage their strategy, in order to lessen the fear that we are plunged into (and most of the doctors don't help ameliorate this!) I've written 300+ pages so far, as testament to how much thinking and reflecting and researching I've done! So with that said, I have notable passion around this entire subject. But I'd never tell anyone NOT to get a mastectomy, I just want women to have more information than they are given now when making their treatment decisions. Happy to discuss further if you like! (I am always looking for beta readers.....)
This was such a good read, especially the quotes from your readers. It's scary to know it can progress so quickly in some women.
My grandma was diagnosed in her 80s and had a mastectomy at 82!! I thought that felt rather late in life for breast cancer. Thankfully she was a tough old lady and lived til 94 😊
Great post, Sara!
Thank you, Kristi! I'm so happy your grandmother lived a long, beautiful life. ❤️