{"id":26489,"date":"2020-10-28T17:52:15","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T17:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cmshub.wpengine.com\/?p=325764"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:16:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:16:15","slug":"teacher-is-glad-she-asked-for-more-testing-after-mammogram-failed-to-detect-her-breast-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/teacher-is-glad-she-asked-for-more-testing-after-mammogram-failed-to-detect-her-breast-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Teacher Is Glad She Asked for More Testing After Mammogram Failed to Detect Her Breast Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Martha Gray has a long history of breast cancer in her family, so she knows that she needs to take her mammograms<\/a> seriously every year. Her mother and aunt were both diagnosed with breast cancer in their early 40s, and Marth has just turned 50.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI would ask every year, is there anything else I need to know, new research?\u201d Martha recalls.<\/span><\/p>\n

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But what many women don\u2019t know is that mammograms actually miss about 10 to 15 percent<\/a> of breast cancers. They\u2019re still the best option for yearly screening, but they\u2019re not perfect. And in Martha\u2019s case, they failed.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: WHAS 11<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But after her mammogram came back clear, Martha, a teacher, still felt that something wasn\u2019t right. She decided to take the Norton Cancer Institute\u2019s high-risk assessment<\/a>. She tested negative for genetic factors that could increase her cancer risk, but she also learned that she had very high odds of developing cancer based solely on her family history.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: WHAS 11<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cTo me, it was like the Holy Spirit. It could be your sixth sense. It could be that little voice, saying something\u2019s not right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on the information from that assessment, Martha returned to her doctor to request more testing. She got an MRI and an ultrasound, followed by an MRI-guided biopsy<\/a>, which is what ultimately picked up on a case of invasive lobular carcinoma in her left breast.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: WHAS 11<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A week later, Martha learned that her initial mammogram and MRI had both missed a tumor in her right breast as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

As it turns out, mammograms miss more cases of cancer than Martha realized. Here\u2019s why mammograms don\u2019t always catch tumors, according to Dr. Laila Agrawal<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere can be some breast cancers that are too small to show up well on a mammogram or come up so fast that a woman may have had a normal mammogram a couple of months ago and then feels a mass herself which turns up to be breast cancer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: WHAS 11<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s still extremely important to get regular breast checks and mammograms, but it\u2019s also vital to advocate for yourself if you believe something may have been missed. You may be eligible for further screening, just like Martha was able to get.<\/span><\/p>\n

Martha decided to get a double mastectomy to eliminate her cancer and drastically decrease the risk of it returning. She\u2019s had to be away from her students while she recovers from surgery, but her students are more than ready for her to come back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey surprised me one day with a zoom where they were all wearing pink t-shirts<\/a>,\u201d she says. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how lucky I feel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: WHAS 11<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Check out the video below to learn more about Martha\u2019s story.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Elizabeth<\/p>\n

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Elizabeth Nelson is a wordsmith, an alumna of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, a four-leaf-clover finder, and a grammar connoisseur. She has lived in west Michigan since age four but loves to travel to new (and old) places. In her free time, she. . . wait, what\u2019s free time?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Provide Mammograms<\/h5>\n

Support those fighting Breast Cancer at The Breast Cancer Site<\/span> for free! \u2192<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n