Your Voice Speak Out

"Women taking care of themselves"

FOR MEN ONLY

By: A Dedicated Mammographer

THE DAY IS GONE by John Keats

The day is gone, and all its sweets are gone!
Sweet voice, sweet lips, soft hand, and softer breast,
Warm breath, light whisper, tender semi-tone….
Faded the flower and all its budded charms,
Faded the sight of beauty from my eyes,
Faded the shape of beauty from my arms,
Faded the voice, warmth, paradise,
Vanished unseasonably….

Breast cancer will ‘unseasonably’ claim 39,000 women this year. Men, is there a woman without whom your life would be empty and barren? Who is she? Your wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend? Will she be a statistic this time next year?

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and despite advances in breast cancer treatment, mortality rates have decreased very little in the last fifty years. The up side of this is: although death rates have decreased very little, they haven’t risen in proportion to the new cases diagnosed. Five years ago a woman’s risk of breast cancer was one in ten; today the stats are rapidly approaching one in eight. The only realistic hope for a cure at this time is early detection.

Good health, whose responsibility is it? The individual, of course. Expertly documented and controlled studies show that today’s breast cancer deaths could be reduced by more than one third (that’s 13,000 women who don’t need to die) with early detection and treatment. So, how can your special woman take responsibility? Three simple steps.

One: She should choose her doctor with care – one that is knowledgeable about woman’s issues and aggressive in women’s care.

Two: She should learn to do monthly breast self-exam properly and do it consistently.

Three: She should follow American Cancer Society guidelines for mammography and have her mammogram done in a facility accredited by the American College of Radiology. The facility should have up-to-date equipment that is religiously maintained and be staffed with compassionate, specifically trained technologists. The radiologist reading her mammogram should be dedicated to excellence in reading- mammograms are among the hardest types of radiology exams to interpret (David Paulus M.D., Professor of Radiology at the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston).

At present, American Cancer Society guidelines are: a baseline mammogram by age 40 with a follow-up mammogram every year thereafter. Men, don’t let a natural reluctance keep you from asking that special woman if she follows these guidelines; less than 25 percent of all American women do. If she avoids the subject with tales of horror, here are your answers. No, it’s not fun like going shopping but she can do that afterwards. Yes, it’s uncomfortable but it only takes a few seconds of compression for each film (about 60 seconds in all). No, mammography isn’t perfect – about 10-15 percent of cancers cannot be detected. No, she won’t look forward to it like a trip to Hawaii but without it she may never have the opportunity to see Hawaii. Yes, even with all the women we see each day, she is an individual to us and we are committed to be there for her intellectually and emotionally.

Breast cancer: words that send a chill around the heart of every professional in the field. Negative facts scream out:

a.   Almost one in eight risk.
b.   No absolutely certain way of finding a cancer early.
c.   39,000 deaths projected for 2002.
d.   Less than 25 percent mammography compliance.
e.   Cures that include radiation, chemotherapy, and disfiguring surgery.

Now the POSITIVE, the wonderful POSITIVE:

a.   Life, precious life.
b.   8 out of 10 breast lesions are noncancerous.
c.   9 out of 10 breast lumps are found by women with self-exam.
d.   9 1/2 of every 10 women treated for early (key word – early) breast cancer will be alive
      five years later.
e.   Reconstructive surgery if desired.
f.    Excellent prostheses for those who don’t choose reconstruction.
g.   Dedicated professionals who will be there every step of the way fighting this killer –
      breast cancer.

From the moment my patient walks in the door I hold her life in my hands and I never forget it. Her doctor is trusting she will be treated with respect and compassion that will encourage her to return with confidence year after year. The radiologist is trusting the films he reads to be of the highest quality for her as an individual. Her family is trusting that she is being given every chance to not be a statistic. Most importantly, she is trusting my expertise and professionalism to be of the quality I demand for myself.

Everyone makes decisions daily, decisions that must be lived with tomorrow. Men, gently, with love, urge those special women in your life to make the right decisions today.

This article is dedicated to a special woman, Shari Millard R.N., who devoted the last two years of her life teaching about breast cancer and fighting this enemy of all women. Shari died September 25, 1992 of esophageal cancer. May all of us who worked with her honor her memory by our dedication to excellence in our daily fight against cancer.

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