Mammograms are still considered the gold standard when it comes to screening for breast cancer. Dr. Suzanne Hoekstra, a surgeon with Breast Cancer Specialists of Maine, explains that mammography has been “reliably shown to improve survival from a breast cancer diagnosis by 20 percent and that’s the only test that has been shown to improve survival.”
Where do other screening methods — ultrasound, thermography, MRI, for instance, fit in? Is there agreement yet on the best age to begin screening? What’s important to know about family history and other risk factors? Are there any new screening tests on the horizon?
Diane Atwood asks Dr. Hoekstra these questions and more in this episode of the Catching Health Podcast.
Heard your discussion on Maine Calling and thought you might cover cell phone hazards, especially as they concern kids. I’ve been involved in ex-state rep Andrea Boland’s efforts to get cell phones labeled, and a recent Nation story exposes the telecom fraud being foisted on uneducated consumers. The authors of the Nation article don’t mention Devra Davis’s web site — Environmental Health Trust — but they did recommend it in conversation with an NPR host a week or two ago. I summarize the testimony submitted in Augusta by Davis and other experts in a PPH op-ed titled “Lawmakers, public officials failed miserably on cell phone safety” (24 April 2010). You can reach me at 326-8764 (no computer at home).
Thanks for the information Jody. I agree that it would be a good topic. I’ll be in touch.