Astoundingly, this year’s estimation of new cases and deaths from breast cancer in the United States reveals that 178,480 women and 2,030 men suffer from the disease, which kills 40,460 women and 450 men!
More shocking is the fact that the number of women turning up for mammogram — breast X-rays — is declining considerably. This newly found trend is raising worries in the medical fraternity.
The percentage of women aged 40 and older carrying a mammogram has slipped from 70 percent in 2000 to 66 percent in 2005, according to a new study. The study is published in the journal Cancer.
In a telephone interview, researchers led by Dr. Nancy Breen of the National Cancer Institute said,
It’s quite an unusual and disconcerting finding. It comes as a surprise because there’s no reason you’d think there’d be a drop in mammography.
But, the question arises – why are fewer women turning up for a mammogram? It is because of the discomfort involved in the test procedure?
There are perhaps other reasons that need serious attention. Possibly, it can be ‘insurance issues’ that are notoriously keeping women away for the X-rays. To avoid uncontrollable deaths from the disease, the problem needs to be nipped at the roots.
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