Should Celebrities Discuss Breast Cancer Treatments?

I was contacted by ABC News last week, who posed this question to me: Over the last 15 years, celebrities and public figures have “gone public” about their diagnoses of breast cancer. Do you think that their sharing this information with consumers and the media is appropriate?

Might be Helpful--But…

In some cases, these declarations might have been fine, even useful; however, some of these women in past years have tended to share more information than they should have.

Why? Because their personal testimonials have sometimes been taken as gospel by consumers, who walk away thinking they've just heard some valuable and valid medical advice.

Celebrities Can Remind Women That Breast Cancer is Out There

I’m all in favor of individuals coming forward and making their diagnoses known--but their sharing must stop there. I believe well-known women should speak out about their diagnoses so that other women will realize, "Hmm, if it happened to that famous person, then it could also happen to me."

But Some Celebs Keep on Talking

But when famous people begin to provide details about their treatment and even begin to recommend this or that wonderful treatment option, then a line has been crossed that can be detrimental to women who are listening and might then decide to follow that "advice."

We need to leave treatment decisions, and even screening recommendations, strictly to those who are medical experts in the field of breast cancer. If we don’t, then misinformation might cause future patients either to refuse to follow the standard of care or to demand certain treatments that are not in their best interests. Such choices, based on the advice of--let's face it--a well-meaning but uninformed patient, could result in under-treating or over-treating their disease.

Please let me know your thoughts regarding this issue.