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Mindy's Story

Name: Mindy
State: Illinois
Date of Diagnosis: September 4, 2013
Age of Diagnosis: 46
Stage of Diagnosis: Stage 2A
Time from "normal" mammogram to diagnosis: One month
How was cancer detected?: by ultrasound/MRI

I had 11 years of mammograms and never heard of "dense breasts" or the impact of having dense breasts until I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a clear mammogram at the end of June and felt a lump a month later. After a visit to my doctor and an ultrasound and MRI, 3 cancerous tumors were found. Pathology revealed cancer had spread to my lymph nodes. This is when I learned that my dense breasts impacted the effectiveness of the mammogram as a screening tool---the tumors were missed for several years. I had a bi-lateral mastectomy and am undergoing chemo and radiation as part of my treatment. If I had known about dense breasts I would have requested ultrasounds and MRIs. I applaud "Are You Dense?" for its work to influence legislation to require women to be told about their breast density and options for additional screening.

Even with an Illinois ultrasound screening coverage law as an adjunct to mammography for women with dense breast tissue, Mindy's dense breast tissue and its impact on the accuracy of her mammogram were never discussed with her. Density disclosure gives women critical information about breast tissue composition so they can have informed discussions about their personal screening surveillance with health care providers.

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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.