Cynthia's Story

Name: Cynthia 
State: Oregon
Date of Diagnosis: September 2013
Age of Diagnosis: 47
Stage of Diagnosis: Stage 1A
Time from "normal" mammogram to diagnosis: 3 months 
How was cancer detected?: by ultrasound/MRI 

I am a classic but fortunate example of this issue because my cancer was found by pure luck (and ultrasound) at an early stage. I had mammograms done faithfully since age 40 and technicians commented on my breast density, but told me mammograms were all I needed. No other screening method was recommended despite the fact that my mother had breast cancer.  I was also never advised that I had a higher risk for breast cancer because of my dense breast tissue. After I found a lump, my primary care provider immediately sent me for a mammogram and requested an ultrasound. The mammogram came back entirely clear and the ultrasound identified a separate lesion nearby that was confirmed as breast cancer in a subsequent biopsy. 

What could not be seen in any of my mammograms was clearly viewable in an ultrasound and then again in a later MRI.  I also went through the experience of the infamous false-positive breast MRI on a second area of concern during my diagnosis and have absolutely no reservations in saying that the initial stress was definitely worth the higher degree of assurance provided by this screening method.  I'm grateful for the efforts of Are You Dense, Inc. in advocating breast density legislation and celebrating that Oregon enacted its legislation three months after my diagnosis.