Perhaps they might like a presentation similar to the one I used to make my own decision:
We have to screen 160 women to find one cancer
But 16 of the 160 will need further investigation before they get the all clear
These are old figures now (they come from a report published in 1992) so they should be replaced by the latest & best available
The 1992 report did not mention, nor had I ever heard of, the problem of DCIS which may otherwise lie undiscovered & non-lethal
I understood that most of the further investigations would be because of something like a fogged x-ray or, in a very few instances, require a needle biopsy before someone said: Good news dear! You don’t have cancer after all
But that was enough for me to make up my mind that it was not, for me, a worthwhile bet
It’s a kind of Bayesian calculation
Those who are only too familiar with this terrible disease, either because as medics they spend their lives trying to combat it, or have watched a friend or close family member succumb, will give great weight to the value of early detection
Breast cancer is nowhere near the top of my personal list of health fears. And with some reason
None of the oft mentioned risk factors – late first pregnancy, late menopause, obesity or family history – applies to me
I am not sure if my decision would be different if the process were easier. Round here it involves travelling to a village which is not on my usual itinerary, to visit a caravan in a car park. They offer to rearrange your appointment if the one offered is inconvenient, but the whole attitude is more that they are doing you a favour rather than being presumptuous about your diary
They 'have to' ask you to sign a form if you, politely, decline the invitation
And all to have your breasts squashed between x ray plates? (By the way, what happens with implants? Or with those who resisted that pressure, to stick with their slim but boyish figure?)
Then there is the question of what difference it makes in terms of survival. When I made my decision the only data with which I was familiar was expressed in terms of 5 or 10 year survival
Suppose there were 2 parallel me’s, living parallel lives
First me goes for screening, a tumour is detected. I have the treatment & live 11 years – very good, more than 10
Second me leaves it, & just before my next screening invitation in 3 years time I discover a palpable lump. I have treatment, but survive only 4 years. Oh dear. Less than 5
But first me had 11 years of knowing I had cancer plus the after effects of treatment & the fear that it might return
Second me lived a total of 7 years after that fateful decision, 3 of them in blissful ignorance
At my age I am not sure which one I would choose, even if I were omniscient about my multiple lives
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