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M. D. Anderson Maintains Mammogram Recommendations

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mammogram.jpgIf you're a woman or a spouse or loved one of a woman -- and that likely covers most people we know -- you may be struggling with how to interpret some new guidelines on breast cancer screenings that were issued today by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. You're probably very surprised to read their recommendations to push back initial mammograms to age 50 and conduct follow-ups every two years.

Thanks to the efforts of the American Cancer Society, Komen for the Cure, Avon, many other advocacy groups and even M. D. Anderson's own Public Education Office, it's likely that most women and their physicians would answer "40 years old" to the question: At what age should you get your first mammogram? Furthermore, we'd expect to hear "every year" in response to the question of how often to have this test.

Based on practices in our Cancer Prevention Center and the risk-based guidelines for breast cancer screenings, M. D. Anderson is standing by those recommendations.  

If you're of average risk, M. D. Anderson recommends you get your first mammogram at age 40 and return every year after that for regular screenings. If you aren't sure how to assess your risk, we recommend setting up time with your physician.

"We believe the benefits of an annual mammogram outweigh the risks for women, starting at age 40," says Therese Bevers, M.D., professor and director of M. D. Anderson's Cancer Prevention Center.

M. D. Anderson has studied the effectiveness of breast cancer screening and M. D. Anderson faculty contributed to the modeling analyses used by the Preventive Services Task Force to make its recommendation.   

Ongoing dialog and research on this topic are very important in the lives of many women. We'll assess these findings and others in the annual evaluation of our guidelines in March 2010.

The task force, and M. D. Anderson, are united in our emphasis on developing risk-based,  specific breast cancer screening guidelines. We'll continue to seek evidence that benefits women by catching this disease in its earliest stages.

"Doctors need to have more discussion about the risks and limitations of breast cancer screening with patients so they can participate in decision-making," Bevers says. "There have been huge successes in teaching American women about the benefits of screening mammography, but women have not been educated about the limitations of screening -- which is why many women believe that there is no harm in screening and if one test is good, two tests are better and more frequent testing with both is the best."

Read more about this discussion on twitter hashtag - #mammogram40

http://tweetchat.com/room/mammogram40

Transcript from Houston Chronicle MedBlog Live Chat Event
 

Breast Cancer Prevention for Native American Women

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By Deborah Thomas, Staff Writer

The M. D. Anderson Circle of Sisters program and the Center for Research on Minority Health helped sponsor a visit to M. D. Anderson for Native American women from the Alabama-Coushatta Reservation. During the visit the women received instruction on breast cancer prevention and free mammography screening. They also spent time learning about the role nutrition plays in cancer prevention, the importance of breast cancer screening, and easy ways to relieve stress and stay healthy.




Deborah Scott, of the Native American Health Care Coalition, says, "In the native community breast cancer is a big problem, because many women are diagnosed late." According to The Unequal Burden of Cancer: An Assessment of NIH Research and Programs for Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, American Indian/Alaska Native women have the lowest incidence of breast cancer yet have the poorest five-year survival rates.

Event Sponsors:
National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD)
Native American Health Coalition

M. D Anderson Health Disparities Research, Center for Research on Minority Health
M. D Anderson Mobile Mammography Program
M. D. Anderson Place of... Wellness


Cancer Screening Exams: Not One Size Fits All

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M. D. Anderson recently updated its cancer screening recommendations. While the new guidelines focus on a person's chances of developing cancer, they also reveal when screening may no longer necessary. 

What's great about screening exams are that they have the potential to find cancer at its earliest stage, when the disease is most likely to be cured. For most of us, the benefits of getting a cancer screening exam outweigh the risks. However, there are some who may not benefit from having these tests. Therese Bevers, M.D., professor in the Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, explains more.



Visit our website to review our cancer screening guidelines. To make an appointment in the Cancer Prevention Center at M. D. Anderson for these and other preventative cancer screenings simply fill out our patient self referral form

Do you get tests to check for cancer, such as a mammogram or colonoscopy? What do you think about cancer screening?

Cancer screening examinations are medical tests performed when you're healthy and you don't have any symptoms. They help ensure that any existing cancers are identified at their earliest, most treatable stages.

M. D. Anderson has released updated guidelines for colorectal, cervical and breast cancers. The new recommendations are based on how likely you are to develop a certain kind of cancer. Therese Bevers, M.D., professor in the Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, explains the basis for these important updates.



Visit our website to review the new cancer screening guidelines.

Do you get tests to check for cancer, such as a mammogram or colonoscopy? Did you know that you can make an appointment at the Cancer Prevention Center at M. D. Anderson for these and other preventative cancer screenings. 

What do you think about the new screening guidelines?


Michael R. Migden, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology, talks about the importance of getting regular skin cancer screening exams and checking out that "weird spot" on your body.




Visit Focused on Health for more information on skin cancer prevention.

How often do you do a skin check?

They may be retired National Football League players and coaches but clearly, they still enjoy the camaraderie of a team atmosphere. Even at M. D. Anderson's Genitourinary Center.

Recently, M. D. Anderson and the American Urological Association (AUA) teamed up to screen 37 NFL retirees from the Houston area as part of a 10-city series that the NFL Player Care Foundation initiated to address the medical needs of retired players. The M. D. Anderson screening, led by urologists John Davis, M.D., and Joseph Corriere, M.D., was the seventh site in the year-long tour that has held screening events in Kansas City, Atlanta, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Washington, D.C., and Canton, Ohio, the home of the NFL Hall of Fame.  

This is the first year that M. D. Anderson and the AUA have teamed up to provide the screening for the alumni.

"We screened 37 men between the ages of 31 and 77 at this event and, as former NFL players and coaches, they have tremendous potential to carry the message of the importance of screenings," David says.  

Six other urologists volunteered to work with Davis and Corriere, and they were supported by many others on the M. D. Anderson GU team.

M. D. Anderson recommends that men, beginning at age 50, have an annual digital rectal exam (DRE) and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. For men with a family history of prostate cancer or African-American men, screening should begin at age 45 because of the increased risk.

For more information on vital screenings for prostate cancer and other cancers, please visit the cancer prevention center online


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