“I hope young people are more alert and aware, but more than anything, I hope policies and doctors will change,” she said. “Nobody should have gone through this, and if they had had a mammogram at age 29, I believe they would have seen cancer.”
Stone said her current doctor told her she might be able to discontinue the drug this fall if the tests showed no signs of illness. Stone, a former hairstylist, believes that if so she could volunteer to cut hair for cancer patients and cancer survivors.
“I would love to be able to help other cancer patients,” she said. “But at the same time, I’m sick and tired of cancer.”
About 9% of all new breast cancer cases in the United States are diagnosed in women under the age of 45, According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Laurie Margolis, Director of the Breast Imaging Division at Mount Sinai Health System, told Insider that ultrasound is the test of choice for most women under age 30 because younger women tend to have thicker breast tissue, and ultrasounds are better at identifying the origin of lumps in such tissue. .
With ultrasound in younger patients, “often, a benign cause can be found easily, and no further work is needed,” she said. Often, the discomfort or lump disappears and all is well.
Margolis said mammography is not suggested as a preliminary test for young women at higher risk of breast cancer because of a family history or genetic mutation. Instead, most of them should get a breast MRI, which is more accurate in dense breasts.
“Mammography is amazing and detects many cancers and has been proven in many studies to reduce morbidity and mortality from breast cancer by up to 40%, and is clearly true for most women over the age of 40. The first test is those who are at normal risk,” Margolis said. “But for many women, that’s not enough.”
In situations when women under the age of 30 wished they had previously had mammograms, Margolis said, “it is very likely that the mammogram would not have added anything to the ultrasound findings”.
However, the interpretation of your ultrasound may make a difference. The scans do not provide a clear “cancer” or “not cancer” indication, and different doctors may interpret the picture differently.
“Breast ultrasound is extremely nuanced and extremely operator-dependent,” Margolis said. “It is not always so easy to determine whether something is a simple cyst versus, for example, a triple-negative breast cancer. Making that distinction can be extremely difficult.”
She advises young women who are concerned about changes in their breast tissue to visit a breast ultrasound clinic accredited by the American College of Radiology. Inquire if this facility does multiple breast ultrasounds. Do Radiologists Interpret Ultrasound Professionals in Breast Imaging?
“And then listen to your body,” said Margolis. “If it persists or if it seems too hard or if it is increasing, go back. Don’t hesitate to go back and ask more questions.”