Friday, November 20, 2009

New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations from Task Force

According to the American Cancer Society, roughly 200,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2009. A mammogram is one of the screening tests doctors use to detect breast cancer in women. A mammography screening every year or two for women age 40 and over was the previous recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s, however, that recommendation was recently changed.


The task force recently updated their guidelines for breast cancer screening, recommending that women ages 40 to 49 make a decision on being screened after talking to their doctor about the benefits and risks of a mammogram. Women in their 40s should not receive routine mammograms, according to the group. For women 50 to 74, the task force recommends mammograms every two years.


Data revealed that mammograms detect breast cancer in about 15 percent of women age 40 to 49. However, a percent also receive false positive mammogram results, causing needless biopsies and unnecessary worry. The task force concluded that women in their 40s should discuss having a mammography at present rather than waiting to their 50s.


If you or a loved one has breast cancer medical malpractice questions, call or e-mail the medical malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. Our firm has served clients with Brooklyn cancer malpractice, Bronx cancer malpractice, Queens cancer malpractice and Long Island cancer malpractice cases.


Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Birth Injuries Reduced by Cooling

A recent study published in The Lancet Neurology has found that by cooling babies who have been deprived of oxygen at birth, the risk of brain injury is significantly decreased. Many infants who lack oxygen at the time of their birth suffer brain damage, resulting in disabilities that can last a lifetime. However, this new study has found that cooling infants reduces the amount of cerebral lesions caused by oxygen deprivation.

For the study, researchers used MRI scans to observe whether cooling caused fewer brain lesions in 131 newborns. They found that in the infants who were cooled, there were 30 to 40 percent fewer lesions in specific areas of the brain responsible for neurological development. Also, the scans of the cooled infants were three times more likely to be normal than the scans of infants who did not undergo cooling.

One previous research study found that by chilling newborns that were deprived of oxygen at birth, the rates of cerebral palsy could be reduced and motor skills could be improved later on in life.

Oxygen deprivation can cause hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, a condition where the cells in the central nervous system are damaged, possibly causing death. A lack of oxygen during birth can also cause cerebral palsy, accounting for roughly 20 percent of CP cases. If your child suffered a birth injury that may have been preventable, call or e-mail our birth injury attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos today. One of our experienced birth injury lawyers will evaluate your case for free.

Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net