I had an extremely emotional, yet gratifying day today. I testified in support of Nevada Assembly Bill 147 in front of the Heath and Human Services committee at the Nevada Legislature. The goal of the bill is the make it mandatory for doctors to inform their patients if they have dense breast tissue. “What?” you say. What is this “dense breast tissue” you speak of? Never heard of it? That’s weird because 40% OF YOU HAVE DENSE BREAST TISSUE. And that puts you at a higher risk for getting breast cancer. Why? Because dense breast tissue can hide tumors. Tumors are grey, dense tissue is grey. The cancer blends in and often times can’t be seen. Yet no one talks about dense breast tissue. Well, I sure as hell am… and here’ s why.
My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in November of 2010. 6 months prior, she had a clean mammogram. So just last week, I called her surgeon. I asked, first off, if she had dense breast tissue. “Yes, she had heterogeneously dense tissue,” was the reply. Next question. Is there any way her tumor started the day after she had her last mammogram and in 6 months spread to her neck and 38 lymph nodes? “No” was the reply. For a cancer cell to multiply and become 1 centimeter, it takes 5-9 years. MY MOM HAD THIS CANCER GROWING IN HER BREAST FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS AND IT WAS NEVER PICKED UP WITH A MAMMOGRAM. Holy Shit! That’s all I could say to myself. Holy shit, holy shit… my mom didn’t need to die! If she was told she had dense breast tissue, I guarantee she would have done an additional ultrasound screening. That ultrasound would have likely picked up her cancer years before it had metastasized so aggressively and she would be alive today. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. I believe every woman has a right to know if she has dense breast tissue. Then she can decide if she wants to pay for the additional ultrasound screenings (insurance doesn’t cover this type of screening, go figure!).
Dr. Nancy Cappello, from Conneticut, is the woman who brought the issue of dense breast tissue to light. She has dense breast tissue and was diagnosed with a late stage breast cancer in 2004. She got similar legislation passed in Connecticut and also created the organization www.areyoudense.org This is one of the only places you can get understandable information about this issue (yes, you can read medical journals but trust me they are no fun!). She also testified at the Nevada Legislature today and I couldn’t be more impressed with her determination to inform women.
And that’s where I stand. I don’t want to tell the medical field how to do their job. I really don’t. In fact, I have a doctor friend who I respect who has sent me tons of literature opposing bills like these. But for me, it comes down to my gut instinct that WOMEN HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW. Then you can make your own decisions about what you do with that information. I can’t turn my back on that belief and the belief that had my mom known about her breast density she would be alive today. Here’s my final word: FIND OUT FROM YOUR DOCTOR WHAT TYPE OF BREAST TISSUE YOU HAVE! Only a mammogram can determine this. Size, shape, feel… it doesn’t matter. It’s tissue you are born with. Your doctors knows the answer to what type of tissue you have…. shouldn’t you too??