Another Take on Mammography

In my latest piece, Mammography: a Not-So-Fatalistic View, I outline reasons why the recent task force findings on mammography don’t hold.

Three key issues have escaped the headlines:

1. The expert panel carried out a careful analysis using data that are, necessarily, old;

2. The recommendations don’t apply to digital mammography;

3. Mammograms are not all the same – the quality varies by the methods used and skills of the radiologists who read them.

We need to set the bar higher for mammography. If everyone could have a state-of-the-art mammogram, as I did some years ago, followed by a sonogram to better analyze the tiny abnormalities the radiologist noted (before rushing to biopsy), the stats on cancer screening would be incontrovertible; there would be no debate.

Related Posts:

• To Screen is Human
• A Bit More on False Positives, Dec 2009, Part 1
• Legitimate Concerns and Unfortunate Timing on Radiation from C.T. Scanning
• Stepping Back, and Thinking Forward to October
• A Visit With My Oncologist