Letters for March 21
Know the facts about mammography
In response to “Dense tissue can hide cancers: New clinic to offer imaging technology to detect small breast cancer mass” (Jan. 28):
We are physicians who manage the detection and treatment of breast cancer in the Inland Northwest. We are concerned about potentially misleading information regarding mammography in local media coverage of a facility offering screening breast ultrasound. We agree screening breast ultrasound has merit in some cases. However, this article was incomplete, providing no expert medical perspective or context surrounding how this exam fits within the wide range of technologies used in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
Breast cancer will affect one in eight women. The American Cancer Society and others support annual screening mammograms for women beginning at age 40 as the best strategy for early cancer diagnosis. Mammography is the only test scientifically proven to reduce deaths from breast cancer. This includes women with dense breasts and breast implants.
Breast density is a description of breast composition on a mammogram. Dense breasts are normal and common, and nearly half of all women have dense breasts. Women in Washington state with dense breasts are notified by a letter sent with their mammogram results. Women with dense breasts, or breast cancer risk factors, may use supplemental screening tests to improve cancer detection. These tests are performed in addition to mammography, and include ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Your primary care provider and these websites are excellent resources to better understand breast cancer screening:
www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/screening-tests-and-early-detectionwa-densebreastanswers.org
www.acraccreditation.org/mammography-saves-lives
Plastic Surgery Northwest: Derek Fletcher, MD; Christopher Pannucci, MD; Janelle Sousa, MD; Chad Wheeler, MD; Emily Williams, MD
Breast surgical oncologists:
Stephanie Moline, MD; Jessemae Welsh, MD; Maryam Parviz, MD; Carol Guthrie, MD
Oncologists:
Kristine Rinn, MD; Saritha Thumma, MD
Breast imaging radiologists: Robert Arnett, MD; Gregory Balmforth, MD; John Bell, MD; Paige Flett, MD; Amy Henkel, MD; David Holznagel, MD; Leslie Russell, MD
C
ounty permitting fiasco
Any person with an ounce of common sense would expect noise to be an important environmental issue to consider and evaluate for a proposed car/truck racetrack right next door to a small residential town like Deer Park, Washington. If approved, Mill Pond Raceway would have vehicles and motorcycles racing on dirt. Land is owned by Dragoon Lake LLC of Oceanside, California. The project site is also surrounded on two sides by a wetland – Spring Creek and Dragoon Creek.
On Aug. 24, 2020, the Spokane Public Works Department, lead agency for Spokane County’s State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review, issued a Determination of Non-Significance (DNS) for this project. On Sept. 8, 2020, a timely appeal of this decision was filed by four local persons (appellants).
In his Feb. 22 response to the appeal, the Spokane County public hearing examiner said: “By failing to properly apply the Spokane County Code, Noise ordinance … Chapter 6.12 in its consideration of the probable noise impacts of the proposed racetrack project, the issuance of the DNS is clearly erroneous.” The CONCLUSIONS OF LAW and DECISION also mention, “The threshold determination of DNS issued by the responsible official is clearly erroneous due to a lack of sufficient information relative to and by failing to evaluate and consider the probable noise impacts of the proposed racetrack.”
Thirty-five homes, and at least 10 under construction, are within a quarter-mile of this proposed racetrack. Hundreds more residents would also be impacted by this project. It’s about time the county considered its own noise regulations, thanks only to the appellants and commenters. Why hasn’t the media given this highly contentious project the coverage it deserves?
Lucetta Tuttle and Kelly Courtright
Deer Park