1.6 million women each year get breast biopsies. A recent study showed that nearly 600,000 of those women received unnecessary surgical procedures. Dr. Johnathan LaPook from CBS Evening News explained in detail what these women are going through.
Study: 600,000 Women Get Unneeded Biopsies
NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2008 | by Jonathan LaPook
(CBS) "Every year, an estimated 1.6 million woman get breast biopsies. A new study suggests that nearly 600,000 of those women are getting unnecessary surgical procedures, CBS News medical correspondent Jon LaPook reports.
When 33-year-old Gnalen Kouruma had a suspicious spot on her mammogram, she feared the worst.
"I thought I was going to die," she said.
Her doctor ordered a needle biopsy, the recommended first step in testing for breast cancer. But a study that has experts asking "where's the outrage?" finds 36 percent of women who need breast biopsies are getting invasive surgery, costing three times as much as the recommended procedure."
Read Complete Article Here
Study: 600,000 Women Get Unneeded Biopsies
NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2008 | by Jonathan LaPook
(CBS) "Every year, an estimated 1.6 million woman get breast biopsies. A new study suggests that nearly 600,000 of those women are getting unnecessary surgical procedures, CBS News medical correspondent Jon LaPook reports.
When 33-year-old Gnalen Kouruma had a suspicious spot on her mammogram, she feared the worst.
"I thought I was going to die," she said.
Her doctor ordered a needle biopsy, the recommended first step in testing for breast cancer. But a study that has experts asking "where's the outrage?" finds 36 percent of women who need breast biopsies are getting invasive surgery, costing three times as much as the recommended procedure."
Read Complete Article Here