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Teresa's Story

Name: Teresa
State: Michigan
Date of Diagnosis: July 24, 2011
Age at Diagnosis: 45
Stage of Diagnosis: 2
Time from "normal" mammogram to diagnosis: One month
How was cancer detected?: By me

I had annual mammograms and semi-annual re-checks for 8 years. One month after my last "normal" mammogram AND clinical breast exam, I felt a thick area in my breast. I brought it to the attention of my OBGYN who ordered an MRI. The subsequent biopsy confirmed "invasive cancer." During these 8 years, my mammograms found nothing suspicious. The radiologist’s report that went to my doctor stated that I had extremely dense tissue which presented a “marked decrease in sensitivity”. My physician and radiologist knew this but no one ever informed ME that my density limited the sensitivity of the mammograms to find cancer - shouldn't I know this? Why did I have to find out AFTER my later stage cancer?

Standard of care for women with dense breast tissue should be to inform a woman of her breast density status so she can discuss her individual risk factors with her physician including adding additional screening studies. Your doc knows your breast density, your radiologist knows your breast density BUT you are NEVER informed of this major flaw in the Early detection of breast cancer. This is why I am working with the Michigan legislature for breast density notification legislation so that All Michigan women are informed of their breast density to prevent later stage cancers.

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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.