An eraser at the top of a pencil – who could have thought something so small & insignificant – 5 mm – could threaten my life? It was late summer, 2010 when I was summoned back to my doctor’s office for a second mammogram, this one digital. I was not overly concerned - it had happened before due to having dense breast tissue. These repeat studies had been uneventful in the past. As the digital mammogram progressed however, the technician kept repeating view after view. She was not giving me any information. I began to get anxious with knots in my stomach. When it was finally over, the patient liaison spoke with me about the need for a biopsy, going into great detail about what to expect but much of that went over my head as the fear had begun to take hold. My heart was beating fast, the tears were only seconds away from flowing down my face. She showed me the mammogram film, pointing out ‘micro-calcifications’ that were present that hadn’t been in the exam from the prior year. Things moved very quickly from that point on. The biopsy was positive, and a lumpectomy with sentinel node biopsy was performed. I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, but thanks to early detection, it had not yet spread to my lymph nodes. It was also HER2 Positive - not dependent on estrogen or progesterone for growth. HER2 is an aggressive cancer as it accelerates the growth of cancer cells. I received 6 rounds of chemotherapy consisting of Carboplatin and Taxotere, 30 radiation treatments and one year of Herceptin infusions every 3 weeks. The oncologist told me that it was due to early detection that my outcome was so positive. A 5 mm tumor would not have made itself known for some time in terms of a lump, and it had already started to invade nearby breast tissue due to its aggressive nature. I am now 4 years post diagnosis and thankfully have had normal mammograms every year since 2010. Early detection saves lives, I am living proof!!

Deb Neil
Grindstone, PA