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Karen's Story

Name: Karen
State: Minnesota
Date of Diagnosis: 2012
Age of Diagnosis: 63
How was cancer detected?: After feeling a lump, Karen's mammography results reported as NORMAL - as her dense breast tissue masked her cancer yet BSGI technology detected it.

When Karen Larson from Minnesota, received the news that her new health insurance did not cover the Breast Imaging (BSGI) procedure as part of her surveillance program for early detection of breast cancer she put on her boxing gloves and fought!

After discovering a lump in her breast, Karen went in for a mammogram, but the results showed nothing suspicious. Karen learned that because she had dense breast tissue a mammogram may not necessarily be accurate so she was sent for additional testing. An MRI was contraindicated because of Karen's cardiac defibrillator. Karen’s breast cancer was later detected by BSGI, an advanced molecular imaging technology provided by Dilon Technologies Inc and shown by studies to detect cancers missed by mammography. Since the BSGI proved to detect Karen’s cancer, her doctors recommended that she undergo the procedure as part of her follow up surveillance. Unfortunately, her health insurance did not cover the procedure, deeming it investigative and therefore not covered for all applications.

Karen spent weeks appealing the denial to her health insurance provider but was constantly denied. Determined, Karen appealed her case in the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals. The judge issued a positive ruling by overturning the denial. The judge’s analysis deemed the BSGI procedure not investigational and therefore medically necessary for Karen. The ruling was forwarded to her medical insurance provider requesting them to immediately cover her procedure.

"I am doing this for myself, my sister, and the tens of thousands of other women for whom a mammogram alone is not adequate for breast cancer detection." Karen added, "Women should advocate for themselves and should not take "NO" for an answer when it comes to early detection of breast cancer."

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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.