The XX Factor : breast cancer

Mammogram Panic

Emily Yoffe — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:12:00 GMT

Emily B. maybe the government task force on mammography was actually a plot by radiologists to get more American women to insist on mammograms. This whole mess is partly the fault of the cancer establishment. Think how many times you've heard "one in...(read more)

Forget the Cost, Give Us Our Mammograms

Emily Bazelon — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:53:00 GMT

Depressing poll numbers from Gallup and USA Today ( via Instapundit ): Seventy-six percent of women say they disagree or strongly disagree with the recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to delay mammograms to age 50. And 84 percent...(read more)

Stefanie Spielman, RIP

Rachael Larimore — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:42:00 GMT

Sad news out of Ohio: Funeral services will be held tomorrow for Stefanie Spielman, who died late last week at age 42 after a very long—and very public—struggle with breast cancer. Spielman might have been among the millions of women who face breast cancer...(read more)

Know More, Screen Less

Emily Yoffe — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:58:00 GMT

Emily B , I agree with you that it’s really unfortunate that the conclusion that we don’t need to routinely do mammograms until 50, instead of aparking a national, rational discussion about the advisability of “screening and prevention,” has become the...(read more)

The Mammogram Mania

Emily Bazelon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:17:00 GMT

I've been trying to understand the flap this week over the recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Task Force— a group ill-prepared to handle the controversy —to delay routine mammograms to age 50 for most women. And now, in a truly terrible coincidence...(read more)

Women Need a Pap Smear for Breast Cancer

Samantha Henig — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:31:00 GMT

A guest post from Cindy Pearson, the executive director of the National Women's Health Network: Mammography screening just doesn’t work very well in women before menopause, as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has now recognized . Everyone hoped...(read more)

The New Mammogram Guidelines Smell Like Rationing

Rachael Larimore — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:39:00 GMT

We keep hearing from proponents of health care reform that government rationing of health care is a “ canard .” We don’t have health care reform yet, but with the new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that women shouldn’t get...(read more)

Would You Take a Pill That Prevents Cancer? Unlikely.

Kerry Howley — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:03:00 GMT

Gina Kolata points out , once again, that diet and exercise have not been shown to affect breast cancer rates. Massive, well-run observational studies and randomized controlled trials turn up nothing. This finding appears to be unacceptable; popular culture...(read more)

Just Say No to Mammograms?

Emily Yoffe — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:41:00 GMT

Hanna, the counterpart to your post about the dangers of prostate screening appeared in today's New York Times —a story about whether annual mammograms may be doing more harm than good. This isn't the first piece I've read that questions the mammogram...(read more)

John Edwards' Third Act

Bonnie Goldstein — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:08:00 GMT

Melinda , I don't mean to sound calloused and insensitive on top of my stated willingness to invade personal privacy, but, notwithstanding how plucky and determined she is, Elizabeth Edwards has inoperable metastasized cancer. Cancer grows, that's its...(read more)

Adventures in Plastic Surgery

Melinda Henneberger — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:27:00 GMT

Will's excellent tale of nip and tuck —about those poor plastic surgeons whose business in butt-lifts was not quite as recession-proof as they thought—has made my day, mean thing that I am. And if these lean times force a few more of these specialists...(read more)

Titties, Beer, and Breast Cancer

Meghan O'Rourke — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 19:03:00 GMT

Today's the last day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and some bloggers are arguing that the ubiquitous " pink-ribbon " approach has gone too far . (See the second panel.) Over at The Assertive Cancer Patient you can find a critique of the relentless...(read more)