Screening for Cervical Cancer Should Start at 21 (Update1)

By David Olmos and Rob Waters

Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Women should begin cervical cancer screenings at age 21 rather than an earlier age, and most women younger than 30 can get the exam every two years instead of annually, a physicians’ group said.

The revised guidelines released today by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also recommend that women 30 and older get screened with a so-called Pap test once every three years, instead of every two to three years. The American Cancer Society’s gynecologic cancer director said the society agreed with the advice of the doctors’ organization that additional screenings may lead to unnecessary treatment.

The ob-gyn organization is the second medical group this week to recommend less-frequent cancer screenings, citing scientific data. A U.S.-backed panel said Nov. 16 that most women in their 40s shouldn’t get annual mammograms to prevent breast cancer, setting off protests from women, physicians and health advocacy groups such as the cancer society.

“The data is very good that a Pap test every two years is as good as a Pap test every year,” said Alan Waxman, the lead author of the new guidelines and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, in a telephone interview. The additional tests are inconvenient and costly, and research shows “it doesn’t make a difference in terms of lives saved,” he said.

Health Tip: Having a Conversation About Cancer

HealthDay News) -- If you've been diagnosed with cancer, it's a difficult task to inform friends and family.

The American Cancer Society suggests how to approach the subject:

Compose a list of people you want to tell yourself, and other people you want them to notify for you. Also, jot down thoughts about how you'd like to begin, and what you want to share.
Explain your type of cancer, and share as much about your diagnosis, prognosis and treatment options as you are comfortable with.
Encourage family and friends to do research on their own.
Think about any topics that are too difficult for you to discuss, and avoid those topics.
Compose responses to likely questions, and know when and how you'd like to end the conversation.

Mammogram cutbacks: Make no mistake, rationing for women has begun

is a new Editorial by Elizabeth Lee Vliet in which she expresses her outrage abouth the Federal Government's new guidlines about women waiting longer to get mammograms. if you would like to read the full story here is the link

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/editorialcommentary/story/F70120C848A92F38862576780000BF61?OpenDocument

Experts soften recommendations on several cancer screenings

Experts soften recommendations on several cancer screenings

Chief medical officer said benefits of some screenings are exaggerated

By Blythe Bernhard
McClatchy Newspapers
Page 13
2009-11-23 12:00 AM

With cancer screenings, more is always better.
At least that's what people have been told for years - get mammograms, Pap smears, colonoscopies and prostate tests as early and often as possible to catch cancer before it spreads.

But a new way of thinking has started to take hold that looks at the risks along with the benefits and concludes that universal routine screenings may not always be the best option for improving public health.

The chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, which generally supports screenings, has said he plans to issue an alert soon saying the benefits of some screenings have been exaggerated.

This week, two different medical groups relaxed their screening guidelines for breast and cervical cancers.

Women only need to be screened for cervical cancer between ages 21 and 65, according to new guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The leading gynecological society said women should receive Pap tests every two years until age 30 and every three years after that, instead of annually.

Women were also advised this week in a report from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that mammograms are usually unnecessary before age 50.

Both recommendations, for women with an average risk for cancer, were based on an analysis of data looking at the benefits of screenings as well as the risks from false positives and unnecessary treatments.

"Both these groups said start (screening) later and do it less frequently, recognizing that they could preserve the benefits of screening and reduce some of the harms," said Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, author of "Should I Be Tested for Cancer?" and professor at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. "That's a real sign of some rational thinking that often has been missing in health care, where the presumption is it's always better to do more."

The debate over screenings was first launched when prostate cancer tests gained popularity in the early 1990s and mass screenings turned up a lot more disease than doctors expected. Subsequent surgery and other treatments for prostate cancer can lead to serious side effects including impotence and incontinence. Doctors have come to realize that many prostate cancers are so slow growing as to never become deadly.

"The question is whether (screening) is something at a population level that makes sense to be doing, or if we're creating more disease than we're solving," Welch said.

The idea that cancer isn't always fatal, even without treatment, is also a fairly new concept.

In autopsies of men who have died of other causes, prostate cancer was found in half the men older than 50 and two-thirds of men older than 75, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force last year recommended against screenings for men over 75, since they're more likely to die from another cause.

Most other medical organizations in the past 10 years have changed their stance to no longer recommend routine prostate cancer screening. The National Cancer Institute's position says "to screen men for prostate cancer is controversial because it is not yet known for certain whether this test actually saves lives. Moreover, it is not clear that the benefits of screening outweigh the risks of follow-up diagnostic tests and cancer treatments."

The Pap test is similar to the prostate test because cervical cancer is more often a slow-growing cancer. Most women who die of cervical cancer have received few or no Pap tests.

"The tradition of doing a Pap test every year has not been supported by recent scientific evidence," said a statement from Dr. Alan Waxman, who spearheaded the new guidelines. "A review of the evidence to date shows that screening at less frequent intervals prevents cervical cancer just as well, has decreased costs, and avoids unnecessary interventions that could be harmful."

There are some cancers, namely of the colon and skin, where a general consensus considers universal screening to be worthwhile. Others, like breast cancer, can present a tougher call for doctors and patients. Mammograms prevent one death from breast cancer for every 1,000 women who get screened over 10 years, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The British Medical Journal published an article to help people understand the risk in simple terms.

It means that if 1,000 women don't get mammograms, we can expect four of them to end up dying of breast cancer. If all 1,000 women do get regular mammograms, three will still die of breast cancer.

No matter the odds, many doctors and patients say any life saved is worth everyone getting the mammograms.

"We're all in agreement that this is not the best tool, but does that mean we should take the next step and not screen at all?" said Dr. Burton Needles, medical director of the cancer center at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis. "Most of us who treat patients with cancer feel that the benefits still outweigh the risks of screening."

Ok. Now anyone can comment on my page that wants to.

I was having some difficulties with this new blog and I just couldn't get it to allow people to comment and now I have resolved the issue. Thanks to all who are viewing my page.

Sincerely,
Addie

American Cancer Society Reminds Public to Quit Smoking

American Cancer Society Reminds Public to Quit Smoking. I'm posting this article to remind everyone of the disastrous dangers of smoking. I want all those who read this to also remember that you smoking is shortening you life and that is cheating the ones you love out of time spent with you.



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Sale of plush dog to support American Cancer Society

I hope everyone thinks about dropping by their local Maurices and picking up one of these cute and cuddly little stuffed doggies and help out the American Cancer Society and thier Essential Research.

Sale of plush dog to support American Cancer Society

Hopes everyone thinks about ...

quitting smoking today. Since this is The American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout. Please remerber what you do to your body now will eventually manifest in one way or another. - Stop the Cycle

Great American Smokeout Is Thursday

Great American Smokeout Is Thursday

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Mission Statement

I have started this blog in honor of my Step Mother who is currently battling cancer. I have chosen to Support the American Cancer Society in honor o her and her struggle. I am also doing this in for everyone else who has fought this vile disease.