Posted on 02/10/2006 7:00:48 PM PST by neverdem
The available noninvasive tests for diagnosing breast cancer are not accurate enough to routinely replace biopsies when a mammogram suggests the possibility of breast cancer, a government review concluded yesterday.
Current guidelines recommend a biopsy, which involves examining tissue from the suspicious area under a microscope.
Only about one in five women who get a biopsy actually has breast cancer instead of some other, benign condition. Although biopsies often can be done using a needle, there is intense interest in finding a noninvasive alternative.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reviewed four imaging methods on the market: MRI scans, ultrasound, PET scans and a nuclear medicine test called scintimammography.
If they replaced biopsies, they would miss between 4 percent and 9 percent of cancer cases among women at average risk of the disease, possibly more among high-risk women, the agency concluded.
Kissing Can Raise Risk Of Meningitis for Teens
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Free Flu Shots Urged For Health Facility Staff
Hospitals and nursing homes should offer free flu vaccine to all their workers and make employees sign a form if they refuse, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Influenza kills 36,000 people a year on average in the United States and puts 200,000 into the hospital.
Surveys show that only between 36 percent and 38 percent of health care...
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"When people who work in hospitals and health care facilities don't get vaccinated, they can pose a serious health risk to their patients," said CDC Director Julie L. Gerberding.
The agency said vaccination should be made available to employees day and night.
Ensuring that health care workers, including doctors, nurses, technicians, clerks and cafeteria workers, are vaccinated has taken on greater importance with the spread of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza and its potential to create a pandemic.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The technology is available to get a breast exam x-ray and biopsy during the same visit. It's very effective.
As with all cancer, early detection is important.
Needle biopsies aren't too bad. It's the waiting for the results that's difficult.
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