Don't Lump It : Get It Checked
As soon as a woman on Grey's Anatomy announced that she was diagnosed with breast cancer while breastfeeding, Kathy_WebMD was pinging me via AIM. "Can she give breast cancer to her baby??"
I have to say that thought never came to mind, but what an intriguing question. The simple answer is "no." You can't pass cancerous cells to someone else.
And thankfully breast cancer in young women is relatively rare.
But unfortunately is does happen - and may go undetected for longer periods because women- and their doctors - are less likely to suspect breast cancer at such a young age.
So the real lesson here is that if you have a breast lump, don't ignore it! The woman on Grey's thought she had a clogged milk duct, which is a common complication in breastfeeding women.
But regardless of your circumstance, finding a lump should mean an immediate trip to your doctor, particularly if it doesn't go away within a couple of weeks.
No doubt about it that hearing "You have cancer," is a scary thing for anyone. But what's even scarier is hearing, "You have advanced cancer." You are your own best advocate.
Denial is an amazing phenomenon that often keeps people away from their doctor. But with so many diseases, the earlier you diagnose the problem, the better chance of curing it - or at least treating it before it gets worse.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and no time better than the present for women to get in the habit of regular breast cancer screening -if they're not already. This means a monthly self breast exam, an annual breast exam by your doctor, and regular mammograms after the age of 40. This can save your life.
I have to say that thought never came to mind, but what an intriguing question. The simple answer is "no." You can't pass cancerous cells to someone else.
And thankfully breast cancer in young women is relatively rare.
But unfortunately is does happen - and may go undetected for longer periods because women- and their doctors - are less likely to suspect breast cancer at such a young age.
So the real lesson here is that if you have a breast lump, don't ignore it! The woman on Grey's thought she had a clogged milk duct, which is a common complication in breastfeeding women.
But regardless of your circumstance, finding a lump should mean an immediate trip to your doctor, particularly if it doesn't go away within a couple of weeks.
No doubt about it that hearing "You have cancer," is a scary thing for anyone. But what's even scarier is hearing, "You have advanced cancer." You are your own best advocate.
Denial is an amazing phenomenon that often keeps people away from their doctor. But with so many diseases, the earlier you diagnose the problem, the better chance of curing it - or at least treating it before it gets worse.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and no time better than the present for women to get in the habit of regular breast cancer screening -if they're not already. This means a monthly self breast exam, an annual breast exam by your doctor, and regular mammograms after the age of 40. This can save your life.
3 Comments:
I love that you've started this column. On this issue (and show), it would be great to see a post addressing the (Season One?) GA episode about the BRCA+ woman who underwent surgical menopause. As a BRCA+ woman, I'd never seen it addressed on any TV show. I keep hoping the writers will bring back the character to show what surgical menopause looks like down the road (does she struggle with depression? Or just inelastic skin? Did she opt for HRT? Is there any chance she can still get cancer in her ovarian "stumps"? I've heard of women who've had radical mastectomies still developing breast cancer) In the meantime, perhaps you could address some of the pros and cons of surgical menopause... Thanks!
When will the medical community recommend ultra sound in addition to mammogram for screening. I had regular mammograms for years only to find out, in January, that a 2.4 cm mass was hiding behind dense tissue. This in spite of regular clinical and self exams. The mass felt like the dense tissue of my ancient breast and I didn't notice anything, a miss, until the nipple became slightly inverted. I am angry! This could have been caught earlier if more consideration was given to the proper imaging of dense breasts regardless of age.
I just had a mammogram done two weeks ago. I have a small lump in my breast and some pain off and on. My doctor wants me to have another dianostic mammogram and a ultrasound done. I am concerend with having another mamamogram with a lump present. Is this the correct procedure in determining if the lump is cancerous?
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