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To: levy who wrote (4948)	10/2/1999 12:16:00 PM
From: Blue Snowshoe	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 7442

Howdy levy, Thanks for the PET info. The image brings up a good point, most breast cancers happen in the quarter of the breast near the arm pit. This was the case with MRS. BLUE. MRS. BLUE's cancer was a grade 9 tumor, that it was found before it spread to her lymph is only in thanks to a self exam. When you are 39 you don't think about cancer and that is exactly why you have to look for it. Let's be honest here. This is all about money. Every woman should have mammography starting at 35 IMO. They don't because of HMOs who save a buck in favor of saving a life. MRS. BLUE never had a mammography until after her cancer was found by her self exam. We are lucky she is here four years later, really lucky. A tumor doesn't grow over night. Though my Wife's tumor was fast growing, chances are it took a year or more to grow to the size that she could find it. So when she was 36 or 37 chances are she had the cancer but it was too small to be felt. The average size lump found by regular mammography is 1.1 cm. The average size lump found by a first mammography is 1.5 cm. The average size lump found by women practicing regular breast self exams is 2.1 (MRS. BLUE found a 1.8 cm tumor with a self exam). The average size lump found by accident is 3.6 cm. Since the longer a tumor has to grow the better the chance it spreads, size does matter. The sooner you find it, the better the chance to live. Common sense would tell you for the cost of a mammography and the cost of cancer to a family, regular mammography is the way to go BUT, HMOs not Drs. and patients are who says who gets what and at what age. Before PET ever stands a chance of being paid for, we need to get these cheap bastards to pay for mammography and at an earlier age. The truth is HMOs are killing people to save a buck. If you can have a fast growing tumor found at 1.1 cm or 3.6 cm, what is best for the patient? No people are dying so the HMO can save a buck. Most greedy bastards that run HMOs would rather spend the HMOs money on TV ads that tell you that the HMOs are making health care better for us than to do better medicine. Just how many women could have mammography with the money it takes for the HMOs to promote themselves on TV? HMOs suck, they really do. I worked in medicine all my life and I can tell you the HMO is the worst thing that ever happened to you and me when it comes to health care. Good luck on getting them to pay for a PET scan. They have a technology now that will save many lives and they are keeping it for the public to save a buck. Let's really be honest here, the HMO makes more money if your tumor is found late. That is why I push self exams because the HMOs are the "doctor" now and money comes before health. 909S BLUE