When the Oncologist Becomes the Cancer Patient

An interesting interview with Dr Marisa Weiss, a breast cancer oncologist and founder of breastcancer.org, aired yesterday on NPR's Fresh Air. At age 50 doctors discovered a tumor in her breast during a routine mammogram. Their conversation jumps from her personal experience as a patient and doctor to the latest issues in the field of oncology.

Here is Dr Weiss on mammograms:

"I believe strongly that women should get their first mammogram starting at age 40 and have it each year after that - and start even earlier if they're at higher risk. The taskforce guidelines that came out in November of 2009 recommend that women start getting mammograms at age 50 and then do it every other year. And they base that on old-fashioned studies using old-fashioned technology: film mammography instead of what we have today which is digital mammography. And they use that old-fashioned literature to make futuristic predictions."

Click the link below to read more or to listen to the full interview:
A Breast Oncologist, Diagnosed With The Disease