Breast cancer confusion

Breast cancer runs rampant in my family. I’ve watched it creep into the lives of my immediate family members, and I have seen family trees highlighting the disease’s prevalence through the generations.

And the two things I’ve learned are that early diagnosis is critical and that breast-cancer treatment is one of the most confusing things a woman can go through. Doctors often seem split between treatment options and, many times, the decision is left up to a woman who is scared and unsure what to do.

That’s why I’m particularly disappointed in the latest findings by a government panel this week saying women should wait until 50 to get their first mammogram (the standard used to be 40) and that self-breast exams are useless.

The findings by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are based on the fact that early and self-screening often lead to unnecessary biopsies and false alarms.

While that may be true, I’d rather have 20 people get a false alarm than have someone I love miss a lump because they waited too long to get a mammogram.

More than anything, I think this latest contradictory advice is just one more confusing piece of information that women have to sort through. As if breast cancer isn’t confusing or scary enough, now we have to worry about the screening process. I only hope this latest information doesn’t eventually impact insurance coverage of these screenings.

Have you been touched by breast cancer in your family? Did you find the diagnosis and treatment process confusing and overwhelming?

What do you think of these new guidelines? Will you continue to get mammograms or do self-exams as usual?