Breast cancer is a game changer. With over 3000 women and 20 men diagnosed each year, breast cancer wrecks lives. It’s not all doom and gloom however. If identified while it is in the early stages, a complete recovery is possible. The problem being, access to free breast cancer screening is restricted here in New Zealand.

Truth About Breast Cancer

It sucks. What more can I say?

Breast cancer is the most common cancer of New Zealand women and the cause of over 600 deaths each year. Affecting one in nine women at some point in their lives, many will survive for at least five or more years if caught early enough. While it is true that breast cancer can run in families, many diagnosed women do not have a family history at all.

Like other cancers, it is caused by a mutation within the cells of our bodies such as in our breasts. The genes within the cells are supposed to control the usual creation, growth and death of cells. Unfortunately, they go haywire sometimes and these damaged cells grow and replicate faster than normal cells.

Breast Cancer Fiction – What Not to Believe

Once upon a time ago, an email was sent out around the world saying that deodorant caused breast cancer. Apparently, the deodorant was stopping toxins in sweat from escaping our bodies. These toxins were then absorbed into the lymph nodes and caused breast cancer. A couple of major flaws with this scaremongering are that breast cancers start in the breast before moving to the lymph nodes and that our livers and kidneys remove toxins, not our sweat.

Then did you hear about the one about how underwire bras caused cancer? Once again it was someone relying on a random observation, possibly related to Western women having a higher rate of breast cancer than traditional cultures where women did not wear bras. There is no scientific evidence to this crackpot theory, with plenty of other possible contributing factors like age, diet and exercise not being taken into consideration.

Good News for Breast Cancer Screening Upon the Horizon

Here in NZ, a woman needs to be 45 before she is eligible for free two yearly mammograms. Anyone else not fitting in that group will need to pay around $150-200 for one. But there’s some great news because many insurers will pay for the cost of a mammogram if recommended by a doctor, with AIA going as far as to cover the costs of 3D digital tomosynthesis if any abnormalities are identified through a regular 2D mammogram.

Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) differs from traditional mammography in that it takes a 3D view of the breast. Up to eleven X-rays within seven seconds are taken from all views, instead of the top to bottom and side to side views of a mammogram. Early clinical results show that DBT is more effective at recording breast tissue changes and far more comfortable to have done.

As always, I am here to help. If you’d like some advice on finding the right breast cancer insurance cover for your unique situation, give me a call or send me an email.