Annual Mammograms Can Be Lifesavers

Re “New Study Validates Benefits of Mammograms,” Aug. 1:

When I read the statement that “doubts raised by critics have left many women concerned about the need for mammograms and their potential benefits,” I had to write about my own experience.

Just three days before your article appeared, I had undergone a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy on my left breast, the result of a tiny, new, white speck that an astute radiologist had seen a few weeks earlier during my annual mammogram. There were no telltale lumps in my breast or other signs of a problem.

However, tissue removed during a later needle biopsy showed cancer cells present in the area of the speck, so I was scheduled for outpatient surgery at a local hospital. After the surgery, my surgeon told me that the cancerous lesion had been removed and the biopsy of the lymph node showed no spread of cancer cells.

Along with the skills of my attending doctors and technicians, very early detection of the cancer from this year’s mammogram was key to these fortunate results. So much for those critics of annual mammograms.

Sue Mullins

Northridge