Health

Breast cancer screening is not a panacea

Professor of Funmi Olopade, MD, FACP, Medicine and Human Genetics, and Founding Director of Clinical Cancer Genetics and Global Health Center at the University of Chicago Medical Center, How Different Populations Are Exposed to Different Breast Cancer Risks Explain the importance of being informed and sifting.

The WISDOM study, a female who was informed to screen according to a measure of risk, was started to test an individual approach to screening compared to an annual mammogram. Funmi Olopade, MD, FACP is a professor of medicine and human genetics, a founding director of the Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics and Global Health at the University of Chicago Medical Center, and a collaborator with WISDOM. Here, she explains how different populations are exposed to different risks of breast cancer and the importance of informed screening.

Transscript

Can we discuss specific risks of breast cancer in different populations?

When we talk about breast cancer being not a disease, that’s why it’s really good to get everyone involved. As I said, I’m on the south side of Chicago. Right next to us is Chinatown. The types of breast cancer that Asian women have are actually very different in the sense that they are high in HER2 +. [human epidermal growth factor receptor 2] breast cancer. But when we treat them, they are HER2 + and estrogen receptor positive. There are treatments that target HER2, so you’ll actually get the best results. Why is that so? When we are studying breast cancer inequality, we are actually asking why black women do not get the same results as Asian women treated in the same hospital. What about HER2 + Asian women with breast cancer? Why do they have a high incidence of HER2 + breast cancer?

I learned that one size is not enough for all. Hispanic women and new immigrants to the city of Chicago, do you know the most important health concerns for them? Cervical cancer because these women have not been screened. These women have advanced cervical cancer. However, when you get breast cancer, you actually have a lower risk of breast cancer. While learning which women need to be screened every two years, some women are also learning that they need to be screened every six months. That is the beauty of WISDOM research. Not all can be accommodated in one size.And we’re going to learn a lot about who needs more [screening] People who have less need are screened every two years, while those who just want to come every year are screened, while they are screened every six months. This is why women who are informed to screen based on risk scales are truly innovative. We hope to learn a lot from this 100,000 females and learn to pay for tests based on what managed care organizations have learned by doing and generating this. Evidence that informs the practice.

ExBulletin

Breast cancer screening is not a panacea