So where does that leave us, women who have had breast cancer, and want the best available medical technology for breast cancer detection?

Confused. And I bet I’m not alone. In just the last few weeks, doubts have been raised about all sorts of breast cancer detection tools—CAD, MRIs, digital mammography, ultrasound. Part of the problem is that these tools can be so sensitive that doctors don’t always know what they are finding—often leading to more invasive tests, more false positives, and more money spent on health care.

Speaking for myself, a relatively affluent woman with good health insurance, who’s had breast cancer, I say bring on the tests and we’ll sort out the results. Better to have the anxiety of a false positive here and there, or a few tests that turn out to be fine, although expensive, than to miss something. But I can see how other women may be tempted to throw up their hands and say, forget this test or that one. I’m sure this controversy, and the debate over breast cancer detection will continue. What has been your experience?