Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
House Call: ACS Gives New Breast Cancer Detection Guidelines
Aired May 15, 2003 - 07:52 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The American Cancer Society has some surprising new suggestions about screening for breast cancer.
Making a "House Call" this morning to look at some of today's top health stories, our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen at the CNN Center.
How are you doing there -- Elizabeth?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Doing fine, Fredricka. Good morning.
These are the first new breast cancer detection guidelines from the American Cancer Society since 1997, and one of the recommendations I think is going to shock women who have been told that they should examine their breasts every month. The American Cancer Society saying now women do not need to do breast self-examinations. They say that studies show that these exams do not help detect cancers early.
Now, here is something else interesting. The American Cancer Society says self-exams are still important. Now, I'm going to have to explain that, because that sounds very contradictory. Basically, the Cancer Society is saying they think these exams are important, but they say the science just isn't there to show that they actually help detect cancers early.
Let's take a look at some of the other recommendations from the American Cancer Society. The society also says that most women should get their first mammogram at age 40, and that's the age that's always been out there. They say the evidence is stronger than ever that mammograms are important.
They also say that high-risk women should start getting mammograms at age 30 and should talk to their doctors about getting MRIs and ultrasounds in addition or instead, because there are studies showing that MRIs especially may be much more helpful than mammograms.
And so, those are the new recommendations coming from the American Cancer Society -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Elizabeth, before I get back to the self-breast exams, because that is so alarming, let me ask you about the high-risk women getting the mammograms. Who is considered high risk?
COHEN: High-risk women are considered those with a genetic background or a genetic history of breast cancer. In other words, people who have the BRCA1 or the BRCA2 genes, and there are genetic tests to find that out. Also women who have a lot of breast cancer in their family. Let's say their mother and their aunt got breast cancer, and especially if they got it at a young age, those would be women who are at high risk.
WHITFIELD: OK, and real quick about the self-breast exam. It's not being discouraged; it's just not being encouraged.
COHEN: Correct. They're not saying don't do it. And they're saying, in fact, there may be some merit to doing it, but they're saying the science just isnt there. There is no scientific data showing that doing them helps detect these cancers early. And I'll tell you, Fredricka, breast cancer survivors are going to be very upset about this, because many of them say that they are alive today because they caught their cancer when doing a monthly breast self- examination.
WHITFIELD: That's right. Elizabeth Cohen, I've heard so many of those stories, so I know this is certainly going to elicit a whole lot of conversations going on today.
COHEN: It certainly will.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much, Elizabeth.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Guidelines>
Aired May 15, 2003 - 07:52 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The American Cancer Society has some surprising new suggestions about screening for breast cancer.
Making a "House Call" this morning to look at some of today's top health stories, our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen at the CNN Center.
How are you doing there -- Elizabeth?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Doing fine, Fredricka. Good morning.
These are the first new breast cancer detection guidelines from the American Cancer Society since 1997, and one of the recommendations I think is going to shock women who have been told that they should examine their breasts every month. The American Cancer Society saying now women do not need to do breast self-examinations. They say that studies show that these exams do not help detect cancers early.
Now, here is something else interesting. The American Cancer Society says self-exams are still important. Now, I'm going to have to explain that, because that sounds very contradictory. Basically, the Cancer Society is saying they think these exams are important, but they say the science just isn't there to show that they actually help detect cancers early.
Let's take a look at some of the other recommendations from the American Cancer Society. The society also says that most women should get their first mammogram at age 40, and that's the age that's always been out there. They say the evidence is stronger than ever that mammograms are important.
They also say that high-risk women should start getting mammograms at age 30 and should talk to their doctors about getting MRIs and ultrasounds in addition or instead, because there are studies showing that MRIs especially may be much more helpful than mammograms.
And so, those are the new recommendations coming from the American Cancer Society -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Elizabeth, before I get back to the self-breast exams, because that is so alarming, let me ask you about the high-risk women getting the mammograms. Who is considered high risk?
COHEN: High-risk women are considered those with a genetic background or a genetic history of breast cancer. In other words, people who have the BRCA1 or the BRCA2 genes, and there are genetic tests to find that out. Also women who have a lot of breast cancer in their family. Let's say their mother and their aunt got breast cancer, and especially if they got it at a young age, those would be women who are at high risk.
WHITFIELD: OK, and real quick about the self-breast exam. It's not being discouraged; it's just not being encouraged.
COHEN: Correct. They're not saying don't do it. And they're saying, in fact, there may be some merit to doing it, but they're saying the science just isnt there. There is no scientific data showing that doing them helps detect these cancers early. And I'll tell you, Fredricka, breast cancer survivors are going to be very upset about this, because many of them say that they are alive today because they caught their cancer when doing a monthly breast self- examination.
WHITFIELD: That's right. Elizabeth Cohen, I've heard so many of those stories, so I know this is certainly going to elicit a whole lot of conversations going on today.
COHEN: It certainly will.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much, Elizabeth.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Guidelines>
