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MaryBeth's Story

Name: MaryBeth
State: California
Date of Diagnosis: 5/21/2010
Age at Diagnosis: 47
Stage of Diagnosis: Stage 2B
Time from "normal" mammogram to diagnosis: 3 months
How was cancer detected: By me

In May 2010, after 10 years of complaining about pain and swelling in my left breast, telling my doctor that I was afraid I had cancer given my strong family history, and countless "negative for cancer" annual screenings, diagnostic mammograms and diagnostic ultrasounds, I went to my physician after I FELT a lump.

I asked her what else could I do? She replied, "Well we could do an MRI, but the insurance probably won't pay for it". I had to argue with my insurance company - and finally the MRI was approved. There it was - invasive cancer - the pathology report revealed a 3.5 cm stage 2B invasive tumor discovered less than two months after my "normal" annual screening mammogram. My surgeon told me it probably took 10 years for the tumor to grow that big - and because I had DENSE BREASTS the mammogram could not "see" it. I had a bilateral mastectomy and recently completed a year of chemotherapy and radiation. I have developed a disabling case of lympedema.

Thank you to Amy Colton of CA for working endlessly to pass a state law in CA requiring doctors and radiologists to discuss this HUGE risk factor with their patients. Unfortunately, Governor Brown vetoed the bill. Fierce lobbying from California Medical Association and California Association of Gynecologists and Obstetricians is keeping this life-saving information from women - a tragedy since breast density, at any age, predicts the accuracy of the mammogram.

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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.