Breast Cancer Prevention

In these uncertain times, the annual celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a welcomed tradition. While it's true that many of our in-person gatherings have converted to virtual ones, this has not dampened the power of pink in our lives.
What makes a patient chose not to undergo treatment, a decision that can reduce the risk of cancer by upwards to 30%? Facts or beliefs? (And another thing: Why do we pay so much attention to that homunculus jabbering away in our heads?)
In recent years a surprising amount of the orthodoxy of modern medicine has been challenged, and this has resulted in some counterintuitive, even surprising findings. For example, the PSA test for detecting prostate cancer is so flawed that some healthcare professionals are in favor of doing away with it entirely. The primary reason: too many false positives, leading to unnecessary (and very invasive) procedures, with very few lives actually saved.
The U.S. Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF) evaluates evidence and provides screening guidelines for a number of diseases, including breast cancer. It has just updated its previous guidelines for breast cancer screening in women who have no personal history of cancer, but have a family history that indicates an increased likelihood of potentially harmful BRCA-related cancers.
In an update to its recommendations from 2002, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) continues to recommend the use of breast cancer
The American Society of Clinical Oncology took a major step towards making progress in preventing breast cancer and updated their 2009 guidelines. The updates include recommendations that tamoxifen and raloxifene (Evista) should be discussed as options to reduce risk of invasive, ER-positive breast cancer in pre- and post-menopausal women at higher than usual risk of the disease, instead of simply may be discussed.
A Position Paper from the American Council on Science and Health prepared by John Morgan, DrPH1,2, Shalu Sharma, BS1 and Alicia Lukachko, M.P.H.3 And the Staff of the American Council on Science and Health 1Loma Linda University, School of Public Health 2Region 5 of the California Cancer Registry 3American Council on Science and Health Position Statement
New York, November 16, 1998 The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) today rejected the irresponsible and unfounded claims pushed by NBC Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Bob Arnot in his book, The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet: The Powerful Food, Supplements, and Drugs That Can Save Your Life. ACSH found that Dr. Arnot s book is a misrepresentation of science and a disservice to women. In an effort to offer a more scientific perspective on the subject of breast cancer prevention, ACSH today issued a peer reviewed critique refuting the specific recommendations and claims set forth in Dr. Arnot s book.