Just Curious: Mammograms? Yes or No?

[leftyladyfrommo]

I just read an interesting statistic - that 65% of breast cancer survivors do not go back for mammograms. They simply do not want to know.

Just from my own feelings I think that the "cure" for breast cancer and the constant fear that the disease may return might be worse than the actual disease.

I know that I don't do well with the "fear" part of it. I start having massive anxiety attacks and my quality of life goes right to hell.

[bleedingheart]

1. my mother in law refuses to go for a mammogram...

says "she doesn't want to know"...she never has had cancer...but hell..a bit of preventative treatment and scanning won't hurt.

I can understand that reasoning but I also think that when you have a lot to live for...family, chilldren...grandchildren...and yourself...why take that risk

cancer is awful..if caught early..the chances are good in most cases...

[flying_wahini]

2. I say the devil you know is better than the one you don't

I can deal with just about anything, if I know what it is....
Not knowing is much worse.
Most anxiety episodes, I find, are based in fantasy,
Usually things I worry most about, never happen. IMHO

[LaurenG]

3. I think I'd want to know, however I would like to see better

equipment to do the deed.

Why must we be made into pancakes?

[Lost-in-FL]

4. Ask any Oncologist or Cancer professional

And they would tell you that stress plays a huge part when it comes to Cancer. IMO as long as you do your regular self breast examination, religiously, there is not a need to get a Mammogram every year if you do not have a strong hx of CA.

Personally, I don't have a strong history of breast CA so I would not get a Mammogram every year but at least every three. To me having Mammograms every year (IMO) is just a marketing tool (you don't see Doctors advocating for yearly prostate check ups, do you?). BUT, If you tend to forget to do your monthly self breast examination then I would get the Mammogram every year. BUT THAT IS JUST ME.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. What about "thermograms" I know... what do we do with all these

damn mammogram machines.... and I am sure there are some here familiar with I3C with Dim.... I think it has been proven to be as good as if not better than Tamixofen without causing increased risk for other cancers a couple of years down the road. Cruciferous vegetables.... not just for breakfast anymore.

For those who do not care for this type of veggie, Indole 3 Carbinol with Dim is regularly available from various sources.


1: Cancer Res. 2006 May 1;66(9):4952-60. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read
Gene expression profiling revealed survivin as a target of 3,3'-diindolylmethane-induced cell growth inhibition and apoptosis in breast cancer cells.

Rahman KW, Li Y, Wang Z, Sarkar SH, Sarkar FH.

Department of Pathology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA. [e-mail]

The phytochemical indole-3-carbinol (I3C), found in cruciferous vegetables, and its major acid-catalyzed reaction product 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) showed anticancer activity mediated by its pleiotropic effects on cell cycle progression, apoptosis, carcinogen bioactivation, and DNA repair. To further elucidate the molecular mechanism(s) by which 3,3'-diindolylmethane exerts its effects on breast cancer cells, we have used microarray gene expression profiling analysis. We found a total of 1,238 genes altered in 3,3'-diindolylmethane-treated cells, among which 550 genes were down-regulated and 688 genes were up-regulated.

Clustering analysis showed significant alterations in some genes that are critically involved in the regulation of cell growth, cell cycle, apoptosis, and signal transduction, including down-regulation of survivin. Previous studies have shown that antiapoptotic protein survivin is overexpressed in many human cancers, including breast cancer. However, very little or no information is available regarding the consequence of down-regulation of survivin for cancer therapy. We, therefore, hypothesized that down-regulation of survivin as observed by 3,3'-diindolylmethane could be an important approach for the treatment of breast cancer.

We have tested our hypothesis using multiple molecular approaches and found that 3,3'-diindolylmethane inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells by down-regulating survivin, Bcl-2, and cdc25A expression and also caused up-regulation of p21(WAF1) expression, which could be responsible for cell cycle arrest. Down-regulation of survivin by small interfering RNA before 3,3'-diindolylmethane treatment resulted in enhanced cell growth inhibition and apoptosis, whereas overexpression of survivin by cDNA transfection abrogated 3,3'-diindolylmethane-induced cell growth inhibition and apoptosis.

These results suggest that targeting survivin by 3,3'-diindolylmethane could be a new and novel approach for the prevention and/or treatment of breast cancer.

PMID: 16651453

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. I just eat tons of fruit - especially berries.

I buy them frozen most of the time and eat them instead of snacks.

I just can't do vegetables - especially green ones.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

7. Well.... alrighty then.... pick the nutrition science site/outlet of your

choice and read up on I3C with DIM... here's a start.

http://search.lef.org/src-cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=36&EXTRA_ARG=&CFGNAME=MssFind%2Ecfg&host_id=42&page_id=5375488&query=i3c&hiword=i3c+


Diet plays a major role in the development of cancer. In Korea, the incidence of lung, colon, breast and prostate cancers is much lower than in North America. Korean researchers looked into the possible connection between the consumption of cruciferous vegetables and colon cancer. Cabbage and radish are eaten frequently in this Asian country, and they contain I3C. The research was conducted in rodents on both an inherited type of colon cancer, and one that was environmentally-induced by a chemical. The results show that I3C has a significant effect against precancerous conditions. I3C reduced the incidence of polyps in the genetically susceptible mice 24%. Another precancerous condition known as "aberrant crypt foci" also responded to I3C treatment. The number of foci was reduced approximately 60% in the mice that were treated with the chemical.4 The optimal amount of I3C was not huge-it was a standard dose that can be taken orally (approximately 6 mg per kg of body weight per day).In fact, increasing the dose reduced effectiveness-an effect that has been shown in other studies as well.

[leftyladyfrommo]

9. OK

I could probably do radishes. But I'm allergic to broccoli and that whole family. I'm allergic to just about everything green - isn't that wierd?

But I can eat fruit and I do - lots and lots of it. I usually eat my normal not very good for you breakfast of 2 eggs and hashbrowns.

And the rest of the day I eat fruit - with a natural peanut butter on really wholewheat bread.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

16. Perhaps this would be easier for you..... consider the possibility that

you may not be allergic to simply indole 3 carbinol and then read about these products from several different reputable companies.

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/search/en/query.jsp?q=indole+carbinol&x=0&y=0&intsource=main

[DrRang]

8. St. Molly of Ivins: "Get the damn mammogram."

[leftyladyfrommo]

10. Yea - she's had 3 cancer returns so far - and still alive.

God bless her. I love her to pieces.

[Coyote_Bandit]

11. It's been eight years

since I have been to a doctor for anything. The only reason I went then was because I had awoken to find myself completely and suddenly deaf in one ear - a condition which had not resolved itself after some time.

The cost of health care and medical insurance is simply prohibitive. And even preventative health care can result in denial of coverage and increased rates.

The quesiton of routine monitoring is irrelevant ot a large part of our society.

[leftyladyfrommo]

12. Yes - there is definitely that aspect of things.

Sometimes i wonder if it's bad or good. People in GB are a lot healthier than we are and they do all kinds of things that are bad for their health - like smoke and drink and lot more than we do.

Maybe their lifestyles aren't so stressful.

You know or maybe it's just that doctors can kill you,.

[ccinamon]

13. I have a mammogram every 3 years or so to shut my doctor up.

I'm in the process of trying to find a doctor that won't push the mammogram every year.

There's two ways of reading the stats that show breast cancer on the rise: 1) mammograms are detecting it, or 2) mamamograms give that extra "jolt" to the deformed cells and actually "cause" the cancer....my gut instinct tells me version 2 is most likely.

Things I've noticed for myself for the past 20 years are now (finally) being admitted to by doctors: female problems run in families and possibly be genetic (duh - if alcoholism is genetic why can't female problems?); anti-bacterial soap for everyday use is making kids sicker; cholestrol in eggs is not as bad as first thought, and a whole host of others I can't recall off the top of my head.

The older I get, the more I realize that doctors and scientists are not very good at thinking outside of the box. I'll trust myself first, doctors/scientists when all else fails -- then I just use their diagnosis as a reference and do additional research before taking their advice.

If mammograms didn't use radiation I'd feel better about them. I'd also like to see guys have their testicles examined by a mammogram machine every year -- then they would come up with a better diagnostic tool!

My two cents, I'll leave my soap box for now!

:)

[Lars39]

14. Two years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Stage 3B.
I didn't have a mammogram for 3 years. I almost waited too long.

Get the damned mammogram.

[devilgrrl]

15. I have one every two years

for peace of mind.

[mnhtnbb]

17. I stopped having mammograms 3 years ago...

I don't have high risk factors for breast cancer and I'm not sure that the radiation on a yearly basis is a good idea. I'm 55. My mother lived to 91--no cancer--although she had two sisters who died from cancer. One was believed to have had a brain tumor (this was in the 1920's) and the other sister had ovarian cancer. However, the one who died from ovarian cancer was around pesticides her whole life since she lived on a ranch in the San Joaquin Valley of CA.

I also quit taking Premarin at the same time.

[lindisfarne]

18. The radiation exposure in modern machines is greatly reduced from

what it was only 15=20 years ago. Flying exposes you to radiation, too (of especial concern is flying if pregnant). Breast self examination needs to be done, especially if you're skipping mammography; I'd also request an annual examination from a clinical professional.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_2_3X_Mammography_and_Other_Breast_Imaging_Procedures.asp?sitearea=PED


The modern mammography machine produces breast x-rays that are high in image quality but uses a low radiation dose (usually about 0.1 to 0.2 rads per picture). In the past there were concerns about radiation risks; today if there is a risk, it is very small.

Strict guidelines are in place to ensure that mammography equipment is safe and uses the lowest dose of radiation possible. Many people are concerned about the exposure to x-rays, but the level of radiation in modern mammography does not significantly increase the risk for breast cancer.

To put dose into perspective, if a woman with breast cancer is treated with radiation, she will likely receive a total of around 5,000 rads (a rad is a measure of radiation dose). If she had yearly mammograms beginning at age 40 and continuing until she was 90, she will have received 20 to 40 rads.

========================
http://www.ohiou.edu/ehs/flying_radiation_risks.htm
Your radiation exposure doubles with every 6,500 feet of altitude
- Solar flares can increase your radiation exposure 10 top to 20 times
- Pilot cancer rates for four major cancers are high - in some cases much higher than average
- Pregnant women should be particularly concerned about radiation levels on airplanes
- Radiation levels in a jetliner are occasionally so high that in a nuclear power plant these levels would require signs warning employees not to spend any more time in the area than necessary to do their jobs.

[bemildred]

19. If you can't/won't pay for the "treatment", then why go? nt