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Linda- many thanks for steering me to this research- which I shall now study!
Every now and then we get stories about how screening is potentially harmful, because it can result in the over-diagnosis/treatment of cancers that might possibly regress on their own. The trouble is that routine screening is often the key to receiving treatment, so no screening could mean no treatment - or at least no treatment until it’s too late.
The other point is that those who were screened, did actually receive treatment, so it’s impossible to say if their tumours would have regressed without treatment. The only way we will ever know this, would be to conduct research - but it would be unethical to withold treatment.
My personal view, for what it’s worth, is that screening is very important, because for the majority, cancer does progress if untreated. However, if research does take place to see if cancer regresses without treatment, my suggestion is that those who want to stop screening should be first in line as guinea pigs.
I’m another one who’s ILC was picked up on a routine mammogram. It was 18mm and hadn’t spread, and I count myself lucky that it was found when it was.
Topsymo, I was also symptom free when a grade 2 DCIS was picked up 2 years ago, nearly 3 now, as I said earlier. Last year, during the second ‘routine’ check up, symptom-free IDC was picked up in my other breast, and although it was less than 1 cm, it had already spread to one lymph node.
One sometimes gets the impression that older women aren’t considered worthy of early treatment, and that the anti screening group think it doesn’t matter whether we have more destructive treatment or even die. I wonder if the male anti-screening doctors (and most of those quoted seem to be male) would like to lose their dangly bits rather than having conservative treatment at an earlier stage.
I don’t know what the average age of contributors to the forum is, but I suspect it is a bit lower than the average age of a typical BC patient. This might skew the proportion of forumites who attended a clinic after finding a symptom and those who were symptom free when screened.
Mezzomamma, I’m not sure if the anti-screening brigade are motivated by ageismn or not, but I do wonder if there is a hidden agenda of cost cutting behind the research. I know that in theory research is meant to be objective and value free, but in reality we all know that research is sometimes commissioned to provide evidence to support a particular point of view (for example sugar producers have commissioned research that suggests - what a surprise - that sugar is actually rather good for people). It is also selectively used to support a particular point of view.
As I said earlier, as the only way to know for sure if screening leads to the inappropriate treatment of cancers that would have regressed without treatment, would be to conduct research that would involve witholding treatment to see how many regress, my suggestion is that the first in line as guinea pigs should be those who think screening should be banned.
If it wasn’t for routine screening who nows how much further my cancer would have spread!!! I had a routine mammogram in December with WLE, SNB and complete axillary clearance in January, 3 FEC and 10 Taxols and now radiotherapy. I had no signs whatsoever and yet it had already spread to two nodes. Glad I didn’t have to wait for signs of a lump to appear before being screened.
I had a routine screen in September 2010, with a positive result and, having already had 2 previous benign breast tumours removed, I was not particularly worried when, in March 2011 I found quite a large lump in my left breast.
Two weeks later - thanks to the brilliance of both my GP and staff at Nottingham City hospital’s Breast Care Unit - I was told that the lump was cancerous and of a particularly nasty squamous cell variety. I queried why it had not been picked up on the September mammogram and told that it may well have been hidden.
I cannot fault the treatment I have received - lumpectomy, mastectomy and now FEG Chemo - maybe it was second sight that caused me to consult my GP upon finding the lump, which initially I thought to dismiss but as my personal experience proves, whereby the routine screening may show a cancer well before a lump develops, it is also possible that such screening fails to detect a much more advanced stage of the disease and any lump or abnormality, despite a negative screening, should be reported to your GP as soon as possible.
By the way, breast size does not come into it either - I am an ‘A’ cup at best therefore it is difficult to understand how a Grade C cancer did not show. (My consultant Surgeon and Oncologist have both reviewed the mammogram results and confirm there is no indication of any abnormality)
Hello Jaazees granny. I agree that it’s very worrying that your mammogram missed things, but screening is still very important, and picks up cancer in most cases.
I think the common argument is not that screening misses cancer, but produces false positives, or shows tumours that would have disappeared without treatment (and so subjects women to unnecessary treatment). As I posted earlier, the only way we will know for sure if tumours would have disappeared on their own, is to withold treatment to see if the cancers regress.
I’m due a mammogram in oct was surprised since changing hos I asked if I needed to go for it she shoock her head wld it be I’ve got secondary’s my bcn still thinks I shld go
I agree with both of you … I went for a routine mammo in September and there was a problem so had another in October … all clear. Found the lump and it was clearly visible in february and have since had mastectomy, node clearance and chemo. The lump was 6cm! Not all cancers show up on a mammogram I am told … so as brilliant as routine screening is, checking yourself is also crucial.
Angielav, I think that’s it in a nutshell. In most cases it’s useful, but we shouldn’t rely on screening alone.
Like you I suspect my screening missed things, because by the time it was picked up it had progressed so much. I last had a routine mammogram in November 2006, which was clear. Just as I was approaching my next mammogram in November 2009, I noticed a lump, which turned out to be a 3.5cm breast tumour which had spread to 14 of my lymph nodes, and then the skull. Now the tumour in my breast was only grade 2 (so initially not aggressive), but the tumour in my lymph nodes had become grade 3. The fact that the primary was actually a slow growing tumour suggests to me that the breast tumour would have been there for quite a while - and the fact that it progressed to a fast growing tumour supports this.
But for most screening is beneficial, so I would always support it.