Four weeks after her 33rd birthday, Crystal found a lump in her breast. When she told a good friend and co-worker — whose mother happened to be in treatment for metastatic breast cancer — the friend told her, “Don’t mess around.”
Breast Cancer
Let’s face it: no cancer is a good cancer. But if you do get cancer, being diagnosed at Stage 0 might be considered a best-case scenario.
Despite their importance, there are all sorts of misconceptions and misinformation regarding mammograms that make it difficult to know when's the right time to schedule your screening.
I am happy to be back in my hometown working with breast cancer patients in the community. I love my job because of the amazing people I encounter every day. I am constantly inspired by their strength and courage.
Historically, Japanese women were much less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than American women. However, as Western lifestyles become a part of everyday life in Japan, breast cancer rates are on the rise.
Decades ago, a diagnosis of breast cancer was devastating and almost always meant that a woman would undergo a mastectomy—removal of the entire breast. Today, with regular screening mammograms, breast cancers are often caught in earlier stages, allowing women the choice between a lumpectomy (removal of part of the breast) and a mastectomy.
In recent months, many news outlets have featured stories about the rising rates of women with breast cancer choosing elective double mastectomies. The reasons why these patients opt for healthy breast removal are very personal, but Dr. Kazuaki Takabe and Dr. Jessica Young joined us on Facebook Live to discuss the medical considerations surrounding this trend.
After a recent appointment at Roswell Park, I was suddenly awash with emotion, almost on the verge of tears. My brain was flooded with the enormity of my entire experience, starting of course with the brutal reality that I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 36.
Danielle and Amy were meant to cross paths. Their lives were linked in more ways than one. But they didn’t truly connect until last May, when their mutual friend, Craig, initiated an introduction.
Adult women, starting at age 20, are encouraged to perform a breast self-exam at least once a month. The key to a successful self-exam is consistency.
Radiation therapy plays an integral role in the treatment plan for many breast cancer patients, reducing cancer recurrence and improving survival.
"But you're so young." These words have resonated loudly in my mind over and over again in the last year. Yes, statistically, a 28-year-old should be planning other major life events that do not include a double mastectomy, 16 rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, endocrine therapy, and several reconstructive surgeries.