During a regular physical when I was 46, my internist asked if I had a history of breast cancer. Although I had no close relatives with BC, my grandmother and great grandmother both died young from breast cancer. Screening was not recommended before the age of 50 in 1985, but my internist suggested I have a mammogram anyway. The small lobular cancer showed up on the first mammogram I had. Surgery and radiation followed. 3 years later, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer ; totally unrelated to the breast cancer according to the experts.
I had one scare finding a lump myself about 5 years ago, but luckily, it turned out to be scar tissue. I am now a 25 year survivor of both breast and thyroid cancer. Had my internist followed the guide lines, I don't think the cancer would have been caught as early as it was, and the outcome might have been quite different.
Sandy Springs, GA