Going to the doctor can be good for your health!

I hope that seems obvious to most, but sometimes I hear "I don't really want to go to the doctor, I think I'm fine".

A recent study may give some specific numbers for primary care visits and breast cancer outcomes.  (Good to be reassured every now and then!)

Researchers, lead by Dr Richard Roetzheim, published a study in the most recent Annals of Family Medicine http://annfammed.org/content/10/5/401.full correlating more doctor visits with with improved breast cancer outcomes.  

A woman who saw her primary care physician 10 or more times in the 24 months just prior to the diagnosis of breast cancer diagnosis was less likely to have a late stage diagnosis (by 50%) and less likely to die from breast cancer (by 40%).  

Certainly, this has to do with earlier diagnosis and following mammogram guidelines.  They also found the same association with non-primary care office visits.  And we have seen in previous blogs that mammography is not the only way to get an early diagnosis.  And prevention is even better.

Imagine what a breast specialist could do for you by individualizing your surveillance (maybe more often or different imaging) to your risk or offering lifestyle changes to lower risk or even treatments with prescription drugs.

In response to that statement at the top, "I think you are fine and I want to keep you that way!"


Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases each year.


This content is general and not personal medical advice.