mammogram

Mammogram Advice: Older Women Aren’t Convinced

Posted on 04/22/2013 by | Personal Health and Well-being | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthMore than three years after a federally appointed panel of experts said most women don’t need annual mammograms, a new study of mammogram rates shows that older women have pretty much ignored the advice. According to an analysis of data from nearly 28,000 women, women over 40 continue to get the yearly screening, apparently unconvinced they should do it less often. In fact, mammogram rates slightly increased overall, from 51.9 percent in 2008 to 53.6 percent in 2011, even though …

FDA Approves First Ultrasound For Dense Breasts

Posted on 09/19/2012 by | Personal Health and Well-being | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthAbout 40 percent of women having mammograms have dense breast tissue that not only increases their risk of breast cancer but can also obscure tumors from view in a mammogram. Now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first ultrasound device to give doctors a more detailed image of this kind of breast tissue. The newly approved “somo-v Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS) can automatically scan the entire breast in about one minute to produce several images …

Is 75 Too Old For Routine Screening Tests?

Posted on 12/19/2011 by | Personal Health and Well-being | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthIf you’re 75 or older, you don’t need routine screening for breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. If you’re a woman age 65 or older, you don’t need to be tested for cervical cancer (the Pap test or Pap smear). These are the current guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force, but a new study finds that many older Americans are being routinely screened for these diseases — something experts say is unnecessary,  costly for our health care system, and …

Breast Cancer Debate On Screening Older Women

Posted on 08/8/2008 by | General News | Comments

Personal HealthThe New York Times had an interesting piece on a heated debate about the fact that women in their 80s and 90s aren’t being urged to get mammograms on a regular basis.