Home Resources Patient Friendly Tools Joan Lunden interviews Nancy M Cappello, Ph.D. about her life-changing breast cancer diagnosis

Joan Lunden interviews Nancy M Cappello, Ph.D. about her life-changing breast cancer diagnosis

Dr. Cappello & Joan Lunden have one thing in common - both have dense breast tissue. Joan Lunden was one of the lucky ones who was offered an ultrasound after her normal 3D mammogram and her triple negative cancer was discovered. Dr. Cappello never had the opportunity for access to an early diagnosis as her extremely dense tissue was NEVER disclosed to her until after her advanced-stage diagnosis in 2004.

Hear this inspiring interview here as two survivors talk the importance of a woman knowing her breast tissue composition as she pursues early detection through screening.

Dr Cappello and Joan Lunden in Washington DC - meeting w/Legislators for a National Standard of Dense Breast Tissue Reporting tin 2016

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What is Dense Breast Tissue?

How Do I Know if I Have Dense Breast Tissue?

What Do I Do if I Have Dense Breast Tissue?

Are You Dense? Fact #1:
Breast density is one of the strongest predictors of the failure of mammography screening to detect cancer.
Are You Dense? Fact #2:
Two-thirds of pre-menopausal women and 40% of post-menopausal women have dense breast tissue.
Are You Dense? Fact #3:
Adding more sensitive tests to mammography significantly increase detection of invasive cancers that are small and node negative.
Are You Dense? Fact #4:
American College of Radiology describes women with "Dense Breast Tissue" as having a higher than average risk of Breast Cancer.
Are You Dense? Fact #5:
While a mammogram detects 98% of cancers in women with fatty breasts, it finds only 48% in women with dense breasts.
Are You Dense? Fact #6:
A woman at average risk and a woman at high risk have an EQUAL chance of having their cancer masked by mammogram.
Are You Dense? Fact #7:
Women with dense breasts who had breast cancer have a four times higher risk of recurrence than women with less-dense breasts.
Are You Dense? Fact #8:
A substantial proportion of Breast Cancer can be attributed to high breast density alone.
Are You Dense? Fact #9:
Cancer turns up five times more often in women with extremely dense breasts than those with the most fatty tissue.
Are You Dense? Fact #10
There are too many women who are unaware of their breast density, believe their “Happy Gram” when it reports no significant findings and are at risk of receiving a later stage cancer diagnosis.