Breast cancer can’t be taken lightly

Your paper did a disservice to women with the half-baked article [“An Examination of Risk,� Oct. 23] suggesting that breast cancer is no big deal because some cancers will heal themselves. Enough women avoid getting mammograms and doing their monthly breast exams as it is without your giving them further excuse to ignore a potentially serious condition.

It wasn’t enough to mention at the end of the article that science can’t tell the difference between life-threatening cancers and others that are less worrisome. A better approach would have been to allay fears by focusing on the easier diagnostics and treatments available today. Breast cancer is a big deal if you or someone you love has it and it spreads, and you or they die.

LAURIE GREENE

Thousand Oaks