 |
|
Kylie's breast cancer triggered a surge of over 30 percent in breast imaging of low-risk women
June 05, 2008Use of mammography and breast ultrasound procedures soared by over 30 percent among women aged 25-44 in the 6 months following Kylie Minogue's breast cancer diagnosis, says a new study from the University of Melbourne
Kylie's breast cancer triggered a surge of over 30 per cent in breast imaging of low risk women, says new University of Melbourne study.
Use of mammography and breast ultrasound procedures soared by over 30 per cent among women aged 25-44 in the six months following Kylie Minogue's breast cancer diagnosis, says a new study from the University of Melbourne.
There was also a sharp rise in the number of women aged 25-34 years who underwent breast biopsies - but this surge in screening activity did not lead to the detection of more cases of breast cancer.
The study, published this week in the International Journal of Epidemiology, is the first to use Medicare data to examine the impact of the intense publicity that surrounded this announcement on breast imaging, biopsies and operations to remove breast tumors.
Study leader Dr Margaret Kelaher, from the University of Melbourne's Melbourne School of Population Health, and colleagues found that in the six months following Minogue's diagnosis in April 2005:
* Breast imaging in 25-34 year old women rose by 33 per cent;
* Breast biopsies in women 25-34 increased by 46 per cent;
* Breast imaging in women aged 35-44 rose by 25 per cent;
* Biopsies in women aged 35-44 increased by 37 per cent.
However, the rates of operations to remove breast cancers did not change significantly, suggesting that the flurry of screening activity led to many "false positives".
"Raising women's awareness of the need to get screened is a generally good thing," Dr Kelaher said.
"But these findings suggest that thousands of additional imaging procedures and biopsies did not improve breast cancer detection among young women.
"It appears there has been a situation where publicity has led to many low risk women using - and probably overusing - screening services.
"We need to improve the targeting of health messages and the confidence of women and their doctors in early breast cancer detection recommendations."
Dr Kelaher said the publicity could have raised doctors' perception about breast cancer risk and increased concerns, both medical and legal, about missed diagnoses in younger women.
The researchers also suggest that the influx of low-risk women into the screening system may have damaging effects by reducing the system's capacity to deal with higher risk women.
Dr Kelaher said Kylie Minogue had been a great ambassador for breast cancer awareness, but the publicity surrounding her case highlighted the need for better efforts at "managing the message."
"The visibility of a celebrity's illness provides an opportunity to address a huge health problem like breast cancer," she said.
"But when that celebrity is from a low risk group, it also has the potential to undercut the appropriateness and cost effectiveness of health service delivery.
"Consultation between a celebrity's PR team and public health agencies on how to shape and disseminate the information could help create a message with the best chances of furthering the quality of care and sound public health practice."
Dr Julie Miller, consultant surgeon at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and senior lecturer in the Department of Surgery at the University of Melbourne, is a co-author of the study.
"It's important that women are breast-aware, and consult their doctor if they are concerned about any changes in their breasts,'' Dr Miller said.
"However there is no role for routine screening of women under 40 who do not have symptoms or a strong family history.
"This study shows that all the extra worry and expense was unwarranted and that the current recommendations for breast cancer screening are appropriate."
University of Melbourne
There was also a sharp rise in the number of women aged 25-34 years who underwent breast biopsies - but this surge in screening activity did not lead to the detection of more cases of breast cancer.
The study, published this week in the International Journal of Epidemiology, is the first to use Medicare data to examine the impact of the intense publicity that surrounded this announcement on breast imaging, biopsies and operations to remove breast tumors.
Study leader Dr Margaret Kelaher, from the University of Melbourne's Melbourne School of Population Health, and colleagues found that in the six months following Minogue's diagnosis in April 2005:
* Breast imaging in 25-34 year old women rose by 33 per cent;
* Breast biopsies in women 25-34 increased by 46 per cent;
* Breast imaging in women aged 35-44 rose by 25 per cent;
* Biopsies in women aged 35-44 increased by 37 per cent.
However, the rates of operations to remove breast cancers did not change significantly, suggesting that the flurry of screening activity led to many "false positives".
"Raising women's awareness of the need to get screened is a generally good thing," Dr Kelaher said.
"But these findings suggest that thousands of additional imaging procedures and biopsies did not improve breast cancer detection among young women.
"It appears there has been a situation where publicity has led to many low risk women using - and probably overusing - screening services.
"We need to improve the targeting of health messages and the confidence of women and their doctors in early breast cancer detection recommendations."
Dr Kelaher said the publicity could have raised doctors' perception about breast cancer risk and increased concerns, both medical and legal, about missed diagnoses in younger women.
The researchers also suggest that the influx of low-risk women into the screening system may have damaging effects by reducing the system's capacity to deal with higher risk women.
Dr Kelaher said Kylie Minogue had been a great ambassador for breast cancer awareness, but the publicity surrounding her case highlighted the need for better efforts at "managing the message."
"The visibility of a celebrity's illness provides an opportunity to address a huge health problem like breast cancer," she said.
"But when that celebrity is from a low risk group, it also has the potential to undercut the appropriateness and cost effectiveness of health service delivery.
"Consultation between a celebrity's PR team and public health agencies on how to shape and disseminate the information could help create a message with the best chances of furthering the quality of care and sound public health practice."
Dr Julie Miller, consultant surgeon at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and senior lecturer in the Department of Surgery at the University of Melbourne, is a co-author of the study.
"It's important that women are breast-aware, and consult their doctor if they are concerned about any changes in their breasts,'' Dr Miller said.
"However there is no role for routine screening of women under 40 who do not have symptoms or a strong family history.
"This study shows that all the extra worry and expense was unwarranted and that the current recommendations for breast cancer screening are appropriate."
University of Melbourne
Breast Cancer News and Current Breast Cancer Events RSSCSHL scientists identify new drug target against virulent type of breast cancer
Tumor cells in a particular subset of breast cancer patients churn out too much of a protein called ErbB2 -- also often called HER2 -- which drives the cells to proliferate unchecked. Patients unlucky enough to be in this group -- about one in four -- have poorer prognoses and clinical outcomes than those who don't.
Dense tissue promotes aggressive cancers
New research may explain why breast cancer tends to be more aggressive in women with denser breast tissue. Breast cancer cells grown in dense, rigid surroundings step up their invasive activities, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators report in the Sept. 9 issue of Current Biology.
Women exposed to negative life events at greater risk of breast cancer: BGU study
Happiness and optimism may play a role against breast cancer while adverse life events can increase the risk of developing the disease.
Hormone replacement therapy improves sleep, sexuality and joint pain in older women
One of the world's longest and largest trials of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has found that post-menopausal women on HRT gain significant improvements in quality of life.
Positive thinking may protect against breast cancer
Feelings of happiness and optimism play a positive role against breast cancer. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Cancer suggests that while staying positive has a protective role, adverse life events such as the loss of a parent or close relative, divorce or the loss of a spouse can increase a woman's risk of developing the disease.
Anti-tumor effects are enhanced by inhibiting 2 pathways rather than 1
Two independent research groups have found that simultaneous inhibition of two signaling pathways resulted in substantially enhanced antitumor effects in mouse models of prostate and breast cancer. In an accompany commentary, Steven Grant, at Virginia Commonwealth University Health Science Center, Richmond, discusses the clinical importance of these studies and highlights some of the questions that still need to be answered.
Why a common treatment for prostate cancer ultimately fails
Some of the drugs given to many men during their fight against prostate cancer can actually spur some cancer cells to grow, researchers have found. The findings were published online this week in a pair of papers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Duke chemists synthesize promising anti-cancer product
Duke University chemists have patented an efficient technique for synthesizing a marine algae extract in sufficient quantities to now test its ability to inhibit the growth of cancerous cells while leaving normal cells unaffected.
Slipping through cell walls, nanotubes deliver high-potency punch to cancer tumors in mice
The problem with using a shotgun to kill a housefly is that even if you get the pest, you'll likely do a lot of damage to your home in the process. Hence the value of the more surgical flyswatter.
Targeted radiation therapy can control limited cancer spread
Precisely targeted radiation therapy can eradicate all evidence of disease in selected patients with cancer that has spread to only a few sites, suggests the first published report from an ongoing clinical trial.
More Breast Cancer News Articles
 | Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth? by Robert Schwartz Courageous Souls explores the premise that we are all eternal souls who plan our lives, including our greatest challenges, before we re born for purposes of spiritual growth. The book contains ten true stories of people who planned physical illness, having handicapped children, deafness, blindness, drug addiction, alcoholism, losing a loved one, and severe accidents. Because very different life... |
 | What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause (TM): The Breakthrough Book on Natural Hormone Balance by John R. Lee, Virginia Hopkins The classic bestseller that has helped nearly a million women discover the answer to menopause is now revised and updated. Hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, low sex drive, hair loss, fibroids, and osteoporosis-most women will experience these or other hormone- related problems at some point as they age. In clear, easy-to-understand language, an internationally recognized expert explains the... |
 | Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book:4th Edition 2005 by Susan Love Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book has been considered the bible of breast-care books since it appeared in 1990. In 1995, Love completely updated the book in a 600-page second edition, including new biopsy and screening methods, implants, the pros and cons of hormone therapy, new discoveries in breast-cancer treatment, and many other topics. Every chapter has been rewritten, with the exception of the... |
 | Time Is a River by Mary Alice Monroe With a strong, warm voice that brings the South to life, New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe writes richly textured stories that intimately portray the complex and emotional relationships we share with families, friends, and the natural world. "Every book that Mary Alice Monroe has written has felt like a homecoming to me," writes Pat Conroy, bestselling author of The Prince of... |
 | 7 Weeks to Safe Social Drinking: How to Effectively Moderate Your Alcohol Intake by Donna J. Cornett Drink less, crave less and nip your problem drinking in the bud with the easy Drink/Link Moderate Drinking Program in this book! Drink/Link has helped thousands of drinkers worldwide to control drinking and prevent alcoholism since 1988. Over 80% of the drinkers who have completed this program have either cut their drinking in half or significantly reduced it! No meetings, drugs, belief in a... |
 | Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place by Terry Tempest Williams The only constants in nature are change and death. Terry Tempest Williams, a naturalist and writer from northern Utah, has seen her share of both. The pages of Refuge resound with the deaths of her mother and grandmother and other women from cancer, the result of the American government's ongoing nuclear-weapons tests in the nearby Nevada desert. You won't find the episode in the standard history... |
 | Rosen's Breast Pathology by Paul Peter Rosen Written by an internationally recognized expert in diagnostic breast pathology, this gold-standard text and reference is now in its revised, updated, and expanded Third Edition. It provides a comprehensive, extensively illustrated review of the clinical, radiological, pathological, and therapeutic aspects of the entire spectrum of breast diseases. More than 3,000 full-color... |
 | The Middle Place (Voice) by Kelly Corrigan "The Middle Place is about calling home. Instinctively. Even when all the paperwork -- a marriage license, a notarized deed, two birth certificates, and seven years of tax returns -- clearly indicates you're an adult, but all the same, there you are, clutching the phone and thanking God that you're still somebody's daughter." For Kelly Corrigan, family is everything. At thirty-six, she had a... |
 | Lopsided: How Having Breast Cancer Can Be Really Distracting by Meredith Norton A hilarious and wickedly irreverent look at life with cancerLopsided is not your ordinary cancer memoir. Meredith Norton chronicles every step of her experience, starting with her bizarre symptoms while living in Paris to moving back home to California and living with her compulsive parents and their five television sets. Irreverent and incredibly funny, Norton rails against self-pity and... |
 | Just Get Me Through This!: The Practical Guide to Breast Cancer by Deborah A. Cohen, M.D., Robert M. Gelfand |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |