Obesity and Mammogram Errors
For some time now, obesity has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. It's well established that obese, postmenopausal women have an increased risk of breast cancer compared with postmenopausal women of normal weight. Part of the problem is that obese women are diagnosed at a later stage, perhaps because those with larger breasts may be less able to feel small lumps.
Now new research in the Archives of Internal Medicine looked at whether obese women are at a disadvantage with mammography readings, which may be another reason that breast cancers are diagnosed at a later, more advanced stage in this population. The study indeed finds women who are overweight have a higher chance of having a mammogram that is erroneous, but with a twist. It's commonly thought that mammograms are easier to read when the breasts are larger, because the fatty tissue in the breast gives a better background so that a cancer can stand out. This study shows, it's not a matter of missing a cancer--it's a matter of finding suspicious spots that amount to nothing serious.
The study's results were not what experts would have expected. Dr. Otis Brawley, a medical oncologist at Emory University in Atlanta, says, "I'm surprised. The mammogram is showing us images that we think might be cancer. And we're more likely to think that a fat woman obese woman has cancer and therefore we need to do a biopsy." Dr. Joshua Gross, chief of breast imaging at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, agrees. "From looking at mammograms for many years women who have large breasts and are very fatty are easier to read and easier to find small things." Overweight women had a 14% increased risk while obese women had a 20% increased chance of recall over normal weight women. "Maybe women were recalled because the tissue was inadequately compressed because of the size and the machine couldn't handle it." says Dr. Gross.
The findings are not insignificant. Each false positive mammogram because of obesity costs the system an extra $600, resulting in a multimillion dollar burden on the health system annually. "Anything that involves recalls is not good for the system. The patient has to be re-registered, seen again, filmed again and interpreted again. You're doubling the work of a mammogram." remarks Dr. Gross. Dr. Brawley believes it's a sign of the imperfection of mammograms in general. "Mammography is not a perfect science. We need to realize that we need to get better diagnostic and better screening technologies." It is possible bigger X-ray plates to make better images could be created. The researchers also say they need to do more studies on looking at how to adequately compress the breasts during the mammogram to get the best images. They believe what needs to be done is research into the accuracy of other imaging techniques like MRI and ultrasound, in obese women. For now, the mammogram error issue is yet another cost to the healthcare system caused by the increased incidence of obesity in America.
For more information on breast cance, click here.
Dr. Bonnie Shapiro Liakos
65 W 37th Street, 4th floor
New York,
NY
10018
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Dr. Jonathan Donath
Joint Effort Chiropractic
1241 Mamaroneck Ave
White Plains,
NY
10605
Call 914-908-5562
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Christopher Trahan OMD., LAc.
Olympus Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine
54 West 21st Street (near 6th Ave)Suite 910
NYC,
NY
10010
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Dr. Bruce Shannahoff, D.C.
Valley Spinal Decompression Center
5363 Balboa Blvd. Suite 430
Encino,
CA
91316
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Louis E. Bisogni, DC & Alan H. Siegel, DC
Westchester Non-Surgical Spine and Sports Care
12 Old Mamaroneck Rd.
Wht Plns,
NY
10605
Call (914) 202-0700
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Synergy Pain Relief
Synergy Pain Relief
2011 S. Washington Street
Naperville,
IL
60565
Call 888-216-3329
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Richard W. Walker Jr., MD
Healthe and Well PC
201 Enterprise Ave. Suite 800
Webster,
Texas
77573
Call 888-450-2599
Gaining weight, but are unsure why? For many, aging can cause a person to gain significant weight. If left untreated, a person can become obese causing health conditions that can be harmful to a persons' health. At Healthe and Well, PC in Bay Area Houston, Texas, Richard W. Walker Jr., MD is an experienced doctor who provides patients weight management.
Dr. Louis Miller
Advanced Pain Relief Center of South Florida
6133 Lake Worth Road
Lake Worth,
Florida
33463
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Columbia University Medical Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery
Columbia University Medical Center | Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery
The Herbert Irving Pavilion,161 Fort Washington Avenue, 6th Floor, Room 620
NYC,
NY
10032
Call 888-857-1803
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Hoboken Integrated Healthcare
Hoboken Integrated HealthCare
91 Washington Street
Hoboken,
New Jersey
07030
Call 1-888-533-1061
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Dr. Michael Mulvaney, DC
Spinal Correction Center of Richmond
8536 Patterson Ave.
Richmond,
Virginia
23229
Call 888-804-5326
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Pamela Owens
At The Beach Chiropractic
6934 Beach Drive SW Suite 2
Ocean Isle Beach,
NC
28469
Call 910-575-2225
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Coming soon
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Chronic back and joint pain forces you to put your life on hold in almost every respect. You can%u2019t work, can%u2019t help out around the house, you can barely walk, sit or stand without a shooting, burning pain that won%u2019t let up. You are sick and tired of living in pain, but surgery is not an option. Manipulation Under Anesthesia presents patients in pain with an alternative that can get them back on the right track, and Dr. Peter Ferraro, DC has performed this procedure more than 5,000 times with great results for people in Somerset Count and all over New Jersey.
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Back & Neck Pain Center of Greenwich, P.C.
100 Melrose Ave # 101
Greenwich,
CT
06830
Call (888) 847-1821
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Dr. Daniel Royal
New Hope Medical
9065 S Pecos Road, Suite 240
Henderson,
Nevada
89074
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Spinal Correction Center of Richmond
8536 Patterson Ave.
Richmond,
Virginia
23229
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In spite of its long recognition by the medical community and the government as a safe, proven and effective treatment, many people today still have misconceptions about Chiropractic care. Chiropractic or osteopathic manipulations can be especially helpful in relieving back pain because such a condition responds well to mobilization. Dr. Michael Mulvaney, DC of the Spinal Correction Center of Richmond serves the Chesterfield area using innovative chiropractic technology and proven chiropractic techniques.
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New York Integrative Medical and Rehab
632 Broadway, Ste 303 (btw. Bleecker & Houston)
New York City,
NY
10012
Call (888) 435-7155
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Dr. Peter Ferraro, D.C.
Advanced Center for Injury & Wellness
224 Midland Ave.
Saddle Brook,
New Jersey
07663
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Nevada Center for Alternative and Anti-Aging Medicine
1231 Country Club Drive
Carson City,
NV
89703
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Spinal Relief Center USA
13325 100th Ave NE Ste B&C
Kirkland,
Washington
98034
Call (888) 351-8612
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