Screening

Mammograms remain the gold standard of screening methods for breast cancer, but these days scientists are also trying to find easier, less painful, less expensive and more widely available screening methods, such as the saliva test I blogged about a while back.

According to a nationwide study issued by the American Cancer Society, there is an increased incidence of late stage cancer diagnoses for the uninsured and people on Medicaid compared to people who have private insurance.

It’s pretty much common knowledge that getting regular screening mammograms may help save lives by detecting breast cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage. In fact, this is so essential to the screening process that experts recommend all women over 40 get annual mammograms. In an ideal world, of course, every woman over 40 would follow this recommendation, but we don’t live in an ideal world. Here’s the problem.

Mammography is the most commonly used screening and diagnostic tool for breast cancer, but it can be inconclusive in detecting the disease's warning signs for young women (under age 40) and women who have denser breast composition. (Also see my earlier blog post on young women and alternative screening.) Now a new blood test may become a promising alternative or supplemental screening method for these women.

Breast cancer is a shameful topic for many women in the Middle East. In much of the region, the prevailing cultural attitude is very private and conservative, especially when it comes to women. "Ladies who are married are really worried about what the effect of a diagnosis will be on their husbands and families, so many of them will opt not to do a mammogram," said Omiyat Hajri, a UAE physician who treats breast cancer patients. A staggering 70% of breast cancer patients are diagnosed during the advanced stages compared to just 30% in the West.