FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11/19/2009 10:00:00 AM
CENTRAL
Updated:
1/11/2010 2:24:53 PM
CENTRAL
Opposing new recommendation, NCH strongly encourages mammograms at age 40
Breast cancer experts at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights strongly disagree with this week’s controversial declaration from a government task force that most women in their 40s do not need breast cancer screenings. NCH continues to support the guidelines of the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society, which both state that annual screening mammograms for women should start at age 40.
“While breast cancer isn’t as prevalent in women between the ages of 40 and 50, that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile to screen these women,” said Dr. Allan Malmed, chairman of the NCH Breast Program and vice president of the hospital’s medical staff. “Many lives are being saved with the early detection of breast cancer.”
So far in 2009, Northwest Community Hospital has diagnosed 53 women with breast cancer who are under 50 years old. That number was 105 last year, or 37 percent of all breast cancer cases in 2008. In the past 10 years, NCH has diagnosed 412 women with breast cancer who are under 50 years old.
Dr. Malmed noted that an important factor being overlooked in the government’s study is the productive years of life saved by examining women in their 40s. “Modifying breast care recommendations for that age group really doesn’t make any sense,” Dr. Malmed said. “These women are in the prime of their productive lives, and early detection with mammography gives them the best chance of beating this often insidious disease.”
Nicky Torres, a 42-year-old mother of three girls from Rolling Meadows, credits a routine mammogram at age 39 with saving her life. “It’s a really surreal moment to be told you have cancer,” she said. “I had two clean mammograms, but my third mammogram was the one that showed abnormalities.”
Nicky underwent treatments at The Breast Center at Northwest Community Hospital, and her long-term outlook is positive. “I’m really excited about my future with my girls,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing them grow up, and I’ve told them that I’ll still be around to tuck them in until the day they leave for college.”
Women who have questions about mammogram guidelines or concerns about their own circumstances should contact Christine Masonick, Breast Center manager, at 847.618.7431. To schedule a mammogram, call 847.618.3700. For more information about The Breast Center, visit the hospital’s website at www.nch.org.
Media note: Reporters wanting to interview Dr. Allan Malmed or patient Nicky Torres should contact Blaine Krage in NCH Media Relations at 847.618.5516 or bkrage@nch.org. View Nicky’s video at www.nch.org/nicky.