A recent article from msnbc.msn.com discusses Teresa Heinz’s strong belief that younger women should undergo mammography, a breast cancer-screening procedure, despite a recent recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that the frequency of these diagnostic studies be diminished in women under 50 years of age. The task force panel suggested last month that women should not receive mammograms until the age of 50, while the previously long-standing recommended age to commence mammogram screenings had been 40.
Heinz, the 71-year-old wife of Senator John Kerry, is undergoing treatment for breast cancer revealed through mammography. Heinz emphasized how low the cost of mammography actually is in comparison to the physical and economic toll women ages 40 to 60 may experience if their cancer is not detected in its early stages; especially if they need to undergo more extensive chemotherapy because of any delay in the diagnosis of cancer. Heinz stated, “Chemotherapy is serious. It also costs a lot of money. It’s very painful. And it’s very destructive of people’s – most people’s- lives for a while, anyway. So why put people through that instead of just having a test that’s done, and it’s done?”
Heinz is not the only person who is upset with the panel’s decision to raise the age when women should receive annual mammograms to help detect breast cancer. According to the article, the Obama administration has “backed off” from the panel’s recommendation amid much criticism from several medical and women’s groups; however, the government’s policies “remain unchanged.”
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) predicts that by the end of this year, there will have been more than 192,000 new incidents of breast cancer in women, and, that over 40,000 women will die as a result of breast cancer. With these statistics in mind, the availability of timely mammography, and its relationship to timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, is quite significant.
If you think that your physician failed to timely diagnose your breast cancer or recommend diagnostic testing, the New Jersey breast cancer misdiagnosis attorneys at Blume Forte may be able to help. Our lawyers have the knowledge and experience to determine whether any claims may be pertaining to your care by a radiologist, gynecologist, attending physician, or, other healthcare provider. Call us today at 973-845-4421 for a no-cost consultation.