Mammograms

Adding an annual mammogram to a careful physical examination of the breasts does not improve breast cancer survival rates over getting the examination alone.

Mammography does lead to the discovery of smaller, earlier-stage tumors, but still does not improve breast cancer survival rates over examination alone.

One possible reason for a lack of survival benefit from mammograms "is that treatment of breast cancer has improved to such an extent that there is no longer any benefit from screening," the study's authors report. In addition, the results "suggest another option for screening women over the age of 50 years: annual physical examination and the teaching of breast self-examination by skilled health professionals."

The Canadian National Breast Screening Study-2 (CNBSS-2) has been following more than 39,000 women assigned either to annual physical examination or examination plus mammography since the mid-1980s.

The authors report the results 11 to 16 years after the start of the study.

Mammography continues to offer earlier detection, however. According to the report, mammography plus physical examination provides a 3.6-year advantage in detection-time over no screening, whereas physical examination provides only a 1.5 year advantage.

Consistent with this 2.1-year lead-time advantage, tumors detected by mammography plus physical examination tend to be smaller and are less likely to have spread to the lymph nodes, the researchers report.

These apparent advantages do not translate into an increased survival rate for women screened with mammography plus physical examination.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute September 20, 2000;92:1490-1499

From Mike:
When you develop your breathing, you learn how to feel-fit your brassieres so that they will not constrict your breast circulation. See "Brassieres and Breast Cancer".

From Mike:
Forgive me if you think the below is challenging your opinion of my judgment and taste, but I believe that mammograms are mostly overused and due to the damage they inflict, actually obscene.

Borrowed with permission from the author. "And How Are We Feeling Today?" by Kathryn Hammer (copyright 1993, Contemporary Books).

Many women are afraid of their first mammogram, but there is no need to worry. By taking a few minutes each day for the week preceding the exam and doing the following practice exercises, you will be totally prepared.

Best of all, you can do these simple practice exercises right in the privacy of your own home!

Exercise #1: Freeze two metal bookends overnight. Strip to the waist. Invite a stranger into the room. Press the bookends against one of your breasts. Smash the bookends together as hard as you can. Set an appointment with the stranger to meet next year and do it again.

Exercise #2: Open your refrigerator door and insert one breast between the door and the main box. Have one of your strongest friends slam the door shut as hard as possible and lean on the door for good measure. Hold that position for five seconds. Repeat again in case the first time wasn't effective enough.

Exercise #3: Visit your garage at 3:00 a.m. when the temperature of the concrete floor is just perfect. Take off all our warm clothes and lie comfortably on the floor with one breast wedged under the rear tire of the car. Ask a friend to slowly back the car up until the breast is sufficiently flattened and chilled. Turn over and repeat for the other breast.