Breast Cancer Survivors Back Mammograms
New recs challenge their frequency; many women say mammograms saved their lives.
Women Who Say Mammograms Before 50 Saved Their Lives
At age 41 , Anne Marie Flynn had her second-ever mammogram. This mammogram detected six microcalcifications -- often a benign breast abnormality, but in this case it turned out to be the sign of a malignancy. The small, 6mm cancer had spread to Flynn's lymph nodes; it was stage IIIc.
"My oncologist feels that given the small size of the tumor, but how it spread to the lymph nodes, that it was a somewhat aggressive cancer. If I hadn't had a [mammogram] until age 50, it is likely I would be stage IV and had a much different prognosis. I am five years out from treatment and am doing well."
For more personal stories about breast cancer, visit BreastCancer.org. (Courtesy Anne Marie Flynn)
