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LC Today >Health Awareness

Early Detection Saves Lives

Since early adulthood I have always tried to be very diligent with annual physical checkups and those annoying and sometimes uncomfortable tests designed to screen against cancer. Ive carefully followed the guidelines for self-examinations, and always tried to pay close attention to any physical changes noticed.

Thus was the case in January of this year when I reported for my routine annual exam, which includes routine blood screening and mammograms. Having previously had a lump detected many years earlier, which had turn out non-cancerous after biopsy, I am always careful to have these tests every year like clockwork. And it was not unusual to be called back for a second set of films.

So imagine my surprise when the radiologist came to talk to me to tell me that in his opinion the shadows he was seeing as different from the previous year should be tested further. Not being one to take chances, I agreed, and a needle biopsy was performed.

On January 27th of this year I got the word that the pathology report showed cancer cells.

I was devastated. I went through just about every imaginable emotion over the course of the next week before seeing a surgeon and scheduling the surgery to remove the lump a lump that I still was unable to detect myself.

Im happy to report that the surgery, on Valentines Day, was successful, with no cancer cells having spread to any lymph nodes. However, the normal treatment even in this situation is a course of radiation treatments that last about 6 weeks.

My final treatment is May 3rd. At this point I am considered to be cancer free. However, further follow-ups will be conducted, with mammograms being performed more frequently for the next few years.

I feel extremely lucky that a very alert radiologist saw what to most would be considered a very slight change from last year. Were it not for the mammogram and his thoroughness, this may have gone undetected for another year, at which time it could have been much more serious.

I would urge any woman over the age of 40 to have a mammogram done. In most cases this will simply be used as a baseline against future mammograms. I would urge everyone to have their annual wellness checkups on a regular basis, and if your physician suggests any other tests or X-rays as a part of this exam, by all means follow through with the suggestions.

Prevention is always the best cure, and in the case of cancer, early detection can definitely save a life. And the life it may save could be your own. As stated earlier, without the mammogram my lump would not have been detected as early as it was. I will never miss an appointment for any screening tests that my doctor deems important. And neither should you. Im here today to write this for that very reason.

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