Home Stories Jan's Story

Jan's Story

Name: Jan
State: Connecticut
Date of Diagnosis: November 29, 2012
Age of Diagnosis: 65
Stage of Diagnosis: Stage 1B
Time from "normal" mammogram to diagnosis: One week
How was cancer detected?: by ultrasound

Because I live in Connecticut... the first state in the nation to enact density reporting legislation in 2009 ... I have been following up my "normal Happygram" immediately with a breast ultrasound, at my radiologist's suggestion. My 1 cm lesion, invisible by mammography, showed up clear as day on ultrasound which was later determined to be INVASIVE stage 1B breast cancer.

Following a lumpectomy, chemotherphy and radiation, I felt compelled to find out WHO was responsible for saving me from a delayed, late-stage breast cancer diagnosis and another year of false security. After researching, I found the AreYouDense.org website and read about the founder of Are You Dense, Inc. I picked up the phone and said, "Hello, Dr. Nancy Cappello? This is Jan. Thank YOU for saving my life. I love you. What can I do to help?"

Since that day, I am spreading the word about the impact of Dense Breast Tissue on MISSED/DELAYED and later stage breast cancer. What if I did not live in Connecticut and my invasive cancer was continually missed by mammography becasue of my dense breast tissue? I would be writing a different story now - one clearly more tragic - with NO mention of an EARLY diagnosis.

Back to Stories

Learn More

Nancy's Story

A Tale of Two Cancers

Donate

Contact

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.