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Brenda's Story

Name: Brenda
State: New Hampshire
Date of Diagnosis: September 23, 2009
Age at Diagnosis: 47
Stage of Diagnosis: Stage II
Time from mammogram to Stage 2 diagnosis: Less than a month
How was cancer detected?: Biopsy discovered Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) a non invasive cancer; Because of Brenda's persistence the MRI uncovered a 2.3 cm invasive mass

I am 48 years old and have been having mammograms since I was 35. In July, 2009 I was told by the mammogram tech "wow, you have dense breasts." I had to have a biopsy because of calcifications. The biopsy results indicated that I had LCIS in the left breast. From the biopsy report I learned that my tissue sample from the biopsy was 98% breast tissue and 2% fat. I researched breast density and learned that if you have dense breasts you are up to 5-6 times more likely to get Breast Cancer and it is likely that it will be undetected on a mammogram. I was sent to an Oncologist for the LCIS when she suggested Tamoxifen for 5 years and told me not to worry. I told her I was already worried because I now knew I had dense breasts. I asked for an MRI and she reluctantly agreed saying "if it would make you feel better." My instincts were right. The MRI revealed a mass greater than 2 cm that was consistent with malignancy. In September I had a bilateral mastectomy. The tumor was 2.3 cm and was invasive. I had chemotherapy (CT X 4), had my ovaries removed, and am on an Aromatase Inhibitor for 5 years. I had stage II cancer. I just had my 14th breast cancer related surgery in June '10. If I had known about breast density I would have paid for an MRI years ago and maybe then it would have been DCIS or stage I... If only someone had told me and let me make my own decisions with that knowledge, I could have been proactive. It is time for a change. With knowledge there is power. Maybe now we can help other women get information about breast density that is so critical to their health.

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AYD In The News

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.