mammogram - going private?

[dippica]

My GP has told me that I can't have mammograms til I'm 50 (40 now) through the early-screening programme. My sister has just had mastectomy after a lumpectomy/chemo/radio a couple of years ago. Because she was over 45 when she was diagnosed, I'm not at a high enough risk, unless my other sister or my Mum gets it (fingers crossed, touch wood etc etc.
Is it worth considering getting annual mammograms done privately, and if so what do they cost approximately?
Also, is a mammogram enough? My sister's lump did not show up on the mammogram, apparently because her breast tissue was so dense, is it a reliable way to check?

Thanks for your views.

PS I'm also checking myself a lot more now, and I guess that is the best way of all.

Have been here with family and can tell you that you that reluctance to screen under 50s is because of the number of 'false alarms' where they need to do an unnecessary biopsy. This is fairly normal in the USA and generally considered unhelpful here. Definitely regular checks are the way to go and if you're worried, ask your GP for a referral to Family History.

I am not at all expert in this but am currently having treatment for breast cancer. I have read that the reason under 50s are not routinely screened is that it is usually older women who get this cancer, and also, as you say, the density of the breast tissue in pre-menopauisal women makes it diffiult to detect cancers. This becomes easier at 50 and beyond.

You could try looking at the Breast Cancer Care web-site and asking this question as they have specialist staff to respond.

I recently heard that in France they screen younger women.

You can go privately- my gynae recommends every 18 months as I am on HRT so I will have the NHS every 3 years and private in between.

Last time I paid £160 private at a central London hospital.

It's your body, so why not?

Breast density befoe 50 makes it harder, but not impossible, and HRT users have denser breasts anyway.

I don't know any other way to check apart from a mammogrram- many lumps are so small they only show that way- not by self-examination.

In France they have begun screening from 40. I have just had my first one.

I had annual screening, privately, after a bout of benign breast lumps/lumpiness in my early 40s. I had mammos and ultrasound, as back-up, until a few years had passed with no change.

If you are anxious now, which is totally understandable, I'd say a private 'baseline' mammo and u/s would be an option - if you don't mind/can afford to spend the money on it. Even if you don't have another for a few years, it does give some information that future tests can be measured against, iyswim.

No expert though, just my experience! I hope all goes well for your sister, and that the rest of your family, you included, stay well

Thanks all for your views, that gives me some things to think about.
Not overly anixous or anything, just want to consider the options.

In the meantime, to echo another thread, I'd urge everyone who doesn't check their breasts regularly to start right now!

I would go for an ultrasound myself, less risky. There has been a study suggesting mammograms have increased risk for those with a predisposition.

If I was going to pay for screening, I would go for ultrasound or MRI (if you can find a good MRI screening centre).

At 40, without being in a high risk group, the risk/benefit balance is not good enough to warrant having mammograms

"Women who carry deleterious BRCA mutations have an impaired ability to repair damage that arises in the DNA that makes up genes. The small amount of radiation exposure due to a mammogram ? essentially an X-ray ? can contribute to DNA damage. Women who have inherited a mutated version of the BRCA gene that weakens DNA repair are believed to be more vulnerable to the harmful effects of radiation in comparison with women who do not carry the mutation."

That's from a science magazine at the University of Califonia, describing the findings of a research study that appeared in the Feb. 4, 2009, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI).