A Cancer Scare Leads to Greater Awareness
- ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ star Jennifer Pedranti, 47, discovered a lump on her left breast but waited five months before getting it checked by her doctor. Fearing it would be breast cancer, she underwent a mammogram. Fortunately, the lump was not cancerous.
- A mammogram is a standard breast cancer screening that examines breast tissue for signs of cancer.
- The medical community has a broad consensus that women have annual mammograms between the ages of 45 and 54. However, if you’re at higher risk for breast cancer due to family history or a genetic mutation, you should consider screening at age 40.
- A study published this year in JAMA found that since 1975, the breast cancer mortality rate has dropped 58% thanks to improved early detection screenings and treatment for patients in later stages of the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the overall 5-year survival rate for breast cancer is 90%.
“The Real Housewives of Orange County” reality TV star Jennifer Pedranti, 47, was frightened when she felt a lump in her breast. However, having already dealt with a string of bad news, she regrettably ignored the lump for nearly half a year until her annual mammogram, where she knew she had to face the reality of the situation.
“I have ignored this lump because I cannot add one more thing to my plate. I don’t want to have to sit the kids down and deliver more bad news,” Pedranti said on BravoTV.
While at her doctor, she underwent a mammogram, which screens for signs of breast cancer. To Pedranti’s relief, her doctor didn’t think the lump was from breast cancer.
Mammograms are a standard screening procedure for breast cancer. When you receive your regularly scheduled mammogram coupled with checking your breast with self-breast exams regularly, your chances of detecting the onset of breast cancer increase significantly. A self-exam includes pressing your fingertips along your breast in a circular motion.
WATCH: Mammograms are still the best tool for detecting breast cancer.
“It definitely does not look like cancer. That really looks like it could be something related to surgery,” Pedranti’s doctor said on the episode.
“Hearing this news is truly like you’re carrying around a backpack full of bricks, and it’s just like, whole backpack off, thank you, God, best news ever,” Pedranti admitted.
Expert Resources on Breast Cancer Screening
- I Have Dense Breasts. Do I Need a 3D Mammogram?
- Millions of Women With Dense Breasts — A New Congressional Law — What You Need to Know
- Earlier Mammograms for Black Women May Reduce Breast Cancer Mortality Disparity Rates By 57%; How to Screen for this Disease
- When You’re Getting a Mammogram, Ask About Dense Breasts
When to Screen for Breast Cancer
The medical community has a broad consensus that women have annual mammograms between the ages of 45 and 54. However, an independent panel of experts called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is saying that women should start getting mammograms every other year at the age of 40, suggesting that this lowered the age for breast cancer screening could save 19% more lives. For women aged 55 and older, the American Cancer Society recommends getting a mammogram every other year. However, women in this age group who want added reassurance can still get annual mammograms.
Women with a strong family history of breast cancer, have dense breasts, have a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of breast cancer, such as a BRCA gene mutation, or a medical history, including chest radiation therapy before age 30, are considered at higher risk for breast cancer.
WATCH: Understanding the BRCA gene mutation.
Experiencing menstruation at an early age (before 12) or having dense breasts can also put you into a high-risk category. If you are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer, you should begin screening earlier.
Breast density is determined through mammograms. However, women with dense breasts are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer because dense breast tissue can mask potential cancer during screening. 3D mammograms, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, and molecular breast imaging are options for women with dense breasts for a more precise screening. It is important to ask your doctor about your breast density and cancer risk.
Family History & Breast Cancer Risk
Although breast cancer can happen to anyone, certain factors can increase a person’s risk of getting the disease. The known risk factors for breast cancer include:
- Older age
- Having a gene mutation such as the BRCA1 or BRCA2
- Added exposure to estrogen
- Having children after the age of 30
- Exposure to radiation early in life
- Family history of the disease
RELATED: Is Genetic Testing Right for You?
Different types of genetic testing can help people with a family history of cancer better ascertain their cancer risks. Your doctor will discuss your family history of cancer with you in the context of your type of tumor and your age at diagnosis. Hereditary genetic testing is usually done with a blood or saliva test.
WATCH: Understanding genetic testing for breast cancer.
About ten percent of breast cancers are hereditary, says Dr. Ophira Ginsburg, Director of the High-Risk Cancer Program at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center.
“We encourage only those with a family history to get [genetic testing],” Dr. Ginsburg tells Survivornet.
“I would say that if you have anyone in your family diagnosed with a rare cancer. Or if you have a strong family history of one or two kinds of cancer, particularly breast and ovarian, but also colon, rectal, uterine, and ovarian cancer, that goes together in another cancer syndrome called the Lynch Syndrome,” Dr. Ginsburg adds.
The second test involves the genetic sequencing of your tumor if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer by this point. These genetic changes can be inherited, but most arise during a person’s lifetime. This process usually involves examining a biopsy or surgical specimen of your tumor. This testing can lead to decisions on drugs that might work against your cancer.
WATCH: Getting to Know Your Breasts with Self-Exams.
Breast Cancer Symptoms & Self-Exams
Women are encouraged to do regular self-exams to become familiar with how their breasts feel normally so something like a lump forming can be easily detected. A self-exam includes pressing your fingertips along your breast in a circular motion.
If you feel something abnormal, such as a lump or discharge from the nipple, you should contact your doctor for further examination.
Below are common symptoms to look out for:
- New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit)
- Any change in the size or the shape of the breast
- Swelling on all or part of the breast
- Skin dimpling or peeling
- Breast or nipple pain
- Nipple turning inward
- Redness or scaliness of breast or nipple skin
- Nipple discharge (not associated with breastfeeding)
Improving Survival Rates
Efforts made by people like Roberts – and others – to educate more women to screen for cancer appear to be paying off, according to a study published this year in the medical journal JAMA. Researchers say improvements in screening and treatment are associated with a “58% reduction in breast cancer mortality” for breast cancer.
“In 2019, the combination of screening, stage 1 to 3 treatment, and metastatic treatment was associated with a 58% reduction in breast cancer mortality. Of this reduction, 29% was associated with treatment of metastatic breast cancer, 47% with treatment of stage 1 to 3 breast cancer, and 25% with mammography screening,” the study says.
Breast cancer mortality varied depending on whether the cancer was estrogen-fueled (ER-positive or negative, HER2 positive or negative).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the overall 5-year survival rate for breast cancer is 90%. When the cancer remains localized, the survival rate is 98%. When breast cancer is regionalized within the body, the survival rate is 86%. When the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body – metastatic cancer – the survival rate is much lower at only 32%.
The CDC adds that survival is higher when breast cancer is detected in its early stages when it is easier to treat. “Among females diagnosed with breast cancer from 2015 to 2019, 1,097,918 were still alive on January 1, 2020.”
How Can I Manage Mammogram Anxiety?
It’s common to feel anxious while awaiting mammogram results. This feeling is often called mammogram anxiety.
If you are awaiting test results and your nerves are running rampant, try doing something that relaxes you, such as exercising or listening to your favorite music. Breathing exercises and meditation can also help you relax.
SurvivorNet has more resources to help you manage your mental health while awaiting test results.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you have a breast cancer screening coming up or recently had one, you may have questions you want answered. SurvivorNet suggests the following questions to kickstart your conversation with your doctor.
- Do my mammogram results indicate I have breast cancer, or am I at higher risk?
- If I’m at higher risk, what are my treatment options?
- What side effects should I expect related to my treatment?
- How much will this diagnosis prevent me from working or fulfilling my daily activities?
- Will insurance cover my breast cancer screening, or are there other financial resources available?
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