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I am 55 years old, with no family history of breast cancer.  I do monthly self breast exams and have yearly mammograms. I also have fibrocystic breast disease.   I was three months over due for my mammogram in January of this year when my PCP found a lump deep against the chest wall.  The mammogram barely picked it up because it was so deep and on US the doctor had difficulty locating it.  The biopsy was positive and I was node negative as well as no metastasis.   I have just completed all the recommended chemotherapy.  In three weeks I will begin six weeks of daily radiation.

I intensely disagree with the new recommendations to start screening mammograms at a later age and then do them every two years.  If I had waited two years my cancer being aggressive would most likely have invaded the lymph nodes and then my outcome would not be as positive.  It is a sure death sentence to many women if breast cancer is not found in the early stages.

I also feel the medical community has a long way to go in improving their mammogram technique to get better views of tissue deep against the chest wall as in my case.

posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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