WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Breast Cancer in African American women
Member Center:
By Brooke Kelley - bio | email
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - The critics of these new breast cancer guidelines continue to speak out.
WTOC told you about the new guidelines on Tuesday. See Many worried about new proposed mammogram guidelines. Wednesday, WTOC spoke with one doctor who says she is worried the new guidelines could be detrimental especially for young African American Women.
Brenda Robinson and Wanda Steele both found lumps in their breasts at a young age.
"If I hadn't detected a lump in my breast, I would never know if that would cause problems for me in the future," said Robinson.
"As a young African American woman I did a self evaluation and found my breast fibrosis that could have lead to something else because breast cancer runs in my family," said Steele.
Luckily neither had cancer, but Radiologist Dr. Lesia Jackson says more and more African American women are being diagnosed with breast cancer.
"Our youngest patient was 20-years-old with breast cancer and she is still alive we got the test early," said Jackson. "We've had many many African American women with breast cancer between the ages of 25 and 34 and one-third of them have died within a year. It's a very serious disease."
An alarming statistic when you hear that the United States preventive services are now suggesting that women in their 40's do not get routine mammogram's.
"For these women to wait until they are 50 to start regular mammogram's it's going to be devastating for all young women but particularly this young group because if caught early we can treat and save their lives," said Jackson.
Dr. Jackson says she still advises her patients to get routine mammogram's-especially African American Women .
"If breast cancer starts when a women is in her 20's or in her 30's she won't live to see 50," said Jackson.
For patients like Brenda and Wanda they will continue to get mammogram's and encourage other African American women to do the same.
The American Cancer Society says it will continue to advise that women over 40.
Dr. Jackson and other doctors support that decision and have joined a group of doctors nationwide who disagree with the recommendations from the United States preventive services task force.
©2009 WTOC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
