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Jan's Story

Jan and a friend celebrating at a table with a pink cake

Name: Jan
State: Connecticut
Date of Diagnosis: November 29, 2012
Age of Diagnosis: 65
Stage of Diagnosis: Stage 1B
Time from "normal" mammogram to diagnosis: One week
How was cancer detected?: by ultrasound

Because I live in Connecticut... the first state in the nation to enact density reporting legislation in 2009 ... I have been following up my "normal Happygram" immediately with a breast ultrasound, at my radiologist's suggestion. My 1 cm lesion, invisible by mammography, showed up clear as day on ultrasound which was later determined to be INVASIVE stage 1B breast cancer.

Following a lumpectomy, chemotherphy and radiation, I felt compelled to find out WHO was responsible for saving me from a delayed, late-stage breast cancer diagnosis and another year of false security. After researching, I found the AreYouDense.org website and read about the founder of Are You Dense, Inc. I picked up the phone and said, "Hello, Dr. Nancy Cappello? This is Jan. Thank YOU for saving my life. I love you. What can I do to help?"

Since that day, I am spreading the word about the impact of Dense Breast Tissue on MISSED/DELAYED and later stage breast cancer. What if I did not live in Connecticut and my invasive cancer was continually missed by mammography becasue of my dense breast tissue? I would be writing a different story now - one clearly more tragic - with NO mention of an EARLY diagnosis.

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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.