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Dr. Cappello guest of Joan Lunden's - Alive With Joan

Dr. Nancy Cappello joined Joan Lunden for an interview about the limitations of mammograms for women with Dense Breast Tissue. Dr. Cappello's relentless pursuit of equal access to an early diagnosis, a fairy tale for her in 2004 when she received her startling stage 3C diagnosis within weeks of her 11th NORMAL mammogrsm, would lead to the grass roots density reporting movement - which would later come to light when Joan was offered an ultrasound after her NORMAL 3D mammogram.

Dr. Cappello relives the shock of her advanced stage breast cancer, metastasized to 13 lymph nodes, within weeks of her 11th NORMAL mammogram. Her story illustrates the impact of dense breast tissue on the reliability of the mammogram and the importance of being your own advocate for your breast health.

From Alive With Joan:
"This is a story every woman needs to know about"

Watch How Mammograms Missed My Cancer

Dr. Cappello and Joan Lunden talking by a fireplace on the Alive With Joan set

Dr. Nancy Cappello with Joan Lunden on Alive With Joan

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Are You Dense? Fact #1: Breast density is one of the strongest predictors of the failure of mammography screening to detect cancer.

Are You Dense? Fact #2: Two-thirds of pre-menopausal women and 40% of post-menopausal women have dense breast tissue.

Are You Dense? Fact #3: Adding more sensitive tests to mammography significantly increase detection of invasive cancers that are small and node negative.

Are You Dense? Fact #4: American College of Radiology describes women with "Dense Breast Tissue" as having a higher than average risk of Breast Cancer.

Are You Dense? Fact #5: While a mammogram detects 98% of cancers in women with fatty breasts, it finds only 48% in women with dense breasts.

Are You Dense? Fact #6: A woman at average risk and a woman at high risk have an EQUAL chance of having their cancer masked by mammogram.

Are You Dense? Fact #7: Women with dense breasts who had breast cancer have a four times higher risk of recurrence than women with less-dense breasts.

Are You Dense? Fact #8: A substantial proportion of Breast Cancer can be attributed to high breast density alone.

Are You Dense? Fact #9: Cancer turns up five times more often in women with extremely dense breasts than those with the most fatty tissue.

Are You Dense? Fact #10: There are too many women who are unaware of their breast density, believe their “Happy Gram” when it reports no significant findings and are at risk of receiving a later stage cancer diagnosis.