The New Breast Test Guidelines

lifemedicalsupplier.com
Photo from www.lifemedicalsupplier.com.

In the past few weeks, headlines have been dedicated to the new study results released outlining what age women should get mammograms. Mammograms, a test that uses X-rays to determine if a woman has breast cancer, seems like a concern far off in the future for us 20-something college students. (For guys, I’m sure it barely even registers a blip on the radar, since mammograms are commonly though to be only for females.) But the study results could prove to be immensely important in our future.

The US Preventative Services Task Force released these results earlier this month, recommending that women get screened for breast cancer at 50 instead of 40, and to only get screened once every two years, rather than annually. The USPSTF also discouraged doctors from teaching women how to give themselves breast exams.

Although the panel of doctors that compose the USPSTF are “independent” according to their website, they are appointed by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Since there has been a major push to pass national government-funded healthcare, the study results seem a bit fishy. Currently, most states in the US require health insurers to pay at least part of the mammogram cost, according to cancer.gov. The cost of the test is pretty high, averaging $102, according to costhelper.com. If we were to have national health care, wouldn’t it make sense that a study released by a government-funded group of doctors would discourage women to get costly annual examinations starting at age 40? If the government has to foot the bill for these breast tests, it makes sense that they would want to discourage women from getting them often.

While this reasoning might seem like a bit of a stretch, why would the panel suggest that you SHOULD NOT perform self-examination? The official reason – undue stress – does not outweigh the benefits of discovering, and eventually treating, a lump that could lead to death by breast cancer.  When a woman checks her own breast and finds a suspicious lump, the first thing she does is run to the doctor to get tested via mammogram. But if we’re discouraged to stop self-examinations, then less women will go get tested, resulting in a decrease of mammograms – and a decrease in paying for the expensive test.

Even if national healthcare does not pass, the recommendations could have a negative impact on our medical bills in 20 years. Considering a panel employed by the government released the study, states could rescind their requirement for insurance companies to fork over mammogram money to patients. Currently, insured patients have a co-pay between $10 and $35 for mammograms, according to costhelper.com. But by the time our generation gets to be middle-aged, the new guidelines could justify insurance companies’ tendency to stiff us. For example, if you decide that, hell, you DO want to get mammograms annually once you turn 40, guess what? Your insurance company might make you pay for the whole amount. This is a dangerous practice, since the high price will discourage you from getting tested outside the insurance company’s rules.

A woman gets her annual mammogram. Photo by www.cpmc.org.
A woman gets her annual mammogram. Photo by www.cpmc.org.

The reason that the USPSTF provides for its recommendation of later, less frequent testing also makes me uneasy. Citing unnecessary anxiety caused by diagnosis of a tumor and further medical tests, the USPSTF said the benefits of mammograms outweigh the emotional downfalls. However, the cancer death rate decreased 15 percent in women who get tested in their 40s. While the report makes it seem as though 15 percent is low, mammograms save 15 out of 100 cancer patients in their 40s every year. According to cancer.org, 40,170 women have died from breast cancer in 2009. If 15 percent of 40,170 were saved due to mammograms, 6,025 women would be saved by the test in this year alone. Trying to sway the public with low percentages is not a good way to actually relate the benefits and downfalls of the tests – real, flesh-and-blood lives are a better way to approach the topic.

So while we, as college students, might brush off the new suggested guidelines as something for older women to worry about, the consequences of the study released are astronomical even for our generation. Once we fully understand the context of the study, we can proudly make informed decisions that could save our boobs – and our lives.

For more information on the new mammogram guidelines, this article has proven to be especially helpful in understanding the facts.

About Jackie Reiss

Jackie Reiss (COM '11) writes "The Hookup," a sex and relationships column, for the Quad.

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