Our Stories

Ultrasound found cancer on otherwise "normal" mammogram!

Name:  Pat Krin

Date of Diagnosis: July 17, 2006

Age at Diagnosis: 59 

Stage: 1

Time from "normal" mammogram to cancer diagnosis: O months

How was cancer detected: Ultrasound

Pat's Story:  I received a call from the radiology group where I have my mammograms about a week after my annual mammogram. I was told that they wanted to offer me a screening ultrasound because even though my mammogram was normal, my breasts were dense and a law was recently passed to require insurance companies to pay for screening ultrasounds for women with dense breasts. I reluctantly agreed to the ultrasound (after all, my mammogram was normal). The ultrasound showed a small mass, which was thought to be a cyst, but I was encouraged to have a ultrasound guided biopsy which I did on July 14, 2006. On July 17th I was called with the cancer diagnosis. I was VERY lucky, the tumor was only 8mm, I had a lumpectomy followed by radiation. As it turns out all of the cancer cells were removed during the biopsy. If Nancy had not worked so hard to get the law passed requiring insurance companies to pay for screening ultrasounds for dense breasts I am not sure where I would be today.

Click here to learn more.