 |
||
|
Early Detection Is Key to Fighting Breast Cancer
Monthly breast self-examination beginning by age 20. Clinical breast examinations at least every 3 years beginning at age 20 and annually after age 40. Annual screening mammography beginning at age 40. Women under age 40 with either a family history of breast cancer or other concerns about their personal risk should consult a healthcare provider about risk assessment and when to begin mammography. Not all women who have breast cancer develop signs but for those that do, some of the most typical symptoms are a change in breast size or shape, nipple discharge that suddenly occurs, dimpling or puckering of the skin, or a lump or hard knot in the breast tissue. While conducting a self-exam in the shower earlier this year, Sacramento family law attorney Eldora Ford found an unfamiliar mass of tissue or lump in her right breast. Ford has been receiving mammograms for a number of years due to what she calls "sparkles," a calcification within the breast tissue. However, when Ford discovered this new lump, she went in to see her doctor immediately. Her doctor ordered a new mammogram but the test results can back negative. Just to be sure, an ultrasound was ordered but that too came back with nothing. Ford was satisfied that she had received adequate testing of the tissue and when the test results came back negative both times she was comfortable that nothing was wrong. A couple months later, Ford went back to her primary care physician, Dr. Monice Kwok, and when Dr. Kwok learned that the mammogram and ultrasound both came back negative for the irregular mass of tissue, she encouraged Ford to seek the opinion of a surgeon immediately. So, Ford obtained the services of Dr. Christian Swanson. Dr. Swanson agreed to do a needle biopsy of the tissue in question. A biopsy is a common procedure wherein a sample of the tissue is removed with a very fine needle for review by a pathologist to check for cancer cells. Although a little unnerved, Ford went in for the biopsy. The doctor administered a local anesthetic, and with Ford holding her breast up in her hand so as to assist, Dr. Swanson removed a sample from the breast tissue. The lab reports on the sample came back inconclusive so Ford and her doctor decided that the lump needed to be removed. Another surgical appointment was made and after removing the lump Dr. Swanson told Ford that the lump felt gritty and that he would send the sample to the lab for further analysis. Then, with Ford still lying on the table, Dr. Swanson turned the sample over and Ford knew immediately that something was wrong. The back side of the sample was discolored and appeared star-shaped having a center with what looked like tentacles stemming from it. "Stage I and stage II are early stages of breast cancer in which the cancer has spread beyond the lobe or duct and invaded nearby tissue. Stage I means that the tumor is no more than about an inch across and cancer cells have not spread beyond the breast." Shortly after the biopsy, Ford received the news that she had stage I breast cancer. At the time of her diagnosis, Ford was on HRT, hormone replacement therapy - hormones given to women after menopause to replace the hormones no longer produced by the ovaries. Recent evidence suggests that women who take HRT for long periods of time may increase the risk of developing breast cancer and because estrogen is a growth factor for most breast cancer cells, Ford immediately ceased taking the hormones and scheduled her surgery within two weeks. The shock and stress of a cancer diagnosis is too often completely overwhelming and patients have a hard time focusing on what questions need to be asked and what needs to happen next. This was not the case for Ford. Despite her new diagnosis, Ford was determined to keep a positive outlook on her condition and to focus on the scheduled surgery. Ford told her doctor that she insisted on receiving only a local anesthetic because she did not want to be unconscious for this important milestone. Dr. Swanson was shocked. He had never completed a lumpectomy without a general anesthetic. "When cancer arises in breast tissue and spreads (metastasizes) outside the breast, cancer cells are often found in the lymph nodes under the arm (axillary lymph nodes). In a lumpectomy, the surgeon removes the breast cancer and some normal tissue around it. Often, some of the lymph nodes under the arm are removed." (The National Cancer Institute, www.cancer.gov) Dr. Swanson and the anesthesiologist tried to explain to Ford that the surgery would be painful especially when the lymph nodes were removed because of the numerous nerves found under the arm. Ford insisted and won. The surgery was completed with Ford receiving only a local anesthetic. Although Ford did feel slight pain when Dr. Swanson removed the nodes, she was glad that she insisted on local anesthetic. The pathology report on the tissue removed indicated that the lymph nodes were clear but the margins around the tissue in the breast itself were not. So on July 11, 2003, Ford went back in for a second surgery. As with the first, she battled to receive local anesthetic and again she won. Ford has just received the pathology reports from the second surgery, and we are glad to report that no additional cancerous tissue was discovered! Nonetheless, Ford will soon undergo external radiation therapy. Five days a week for five weeks, Ford will undergo external radiation therapy wherein high-energy rays are directed at the breast to kill the cancer cells. Ford will be able to drive herself to and from her appointments but she is a bit nervous because she literally cannot afford to miss work. Ford says that owning her own practice has not provided her with the safety net of a pension or substantial retirement account so she must continue to work. Ford has spent most of her adult life raising her children and it was later in life that she decided to go to law school. A graduate of the 1983 class of McGeorge Law School, Ford has been in private practice since she finished law school in her late 50s. Law school classmate Jean McEvoy describes Ford as "a very remarkable woman. She graduated from McGeorge without a college degree. She advocated for our Prisoners of War during the Vietnam War when such advocating was frowned upon. Her husband spent 6 years in a prisoner of war camp in Vietnam. She has been a very respected family law lawyer for over 20 years. She has five children, three of whom are also lawyers." Ford admits that she did not know much about this all too common cancer and hopes that in sharing her experience others within the community will become more learned about their own health condition. The diagnosis of breast cancer has changed Ford's life and the lives of those around her. Fortunately, Ford has the help and support of lifetime friends, colleagues, family and faith. Ford wears a pendent of Saint Peregrine, the Catholic patron saint of cancer, around her neck and she keeps the thoughts and prayers of those who care for her in her heart and mind. Ford is a courageous and spirited woman who has battled against the odds most of her life and she is encouraged that with the early detection of her cancer, she will win this important battle as well. For more information about breast cancer, the following resources are available:
|
||
Breast
cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women ages
40 to 59. According to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation, "an estimated 211,300 new invasive cases of
breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the United
States during 2003. An estimated 39,800 women will die from breast
cancer. It is estimated that 1,300 men will be diagnosed and
400 men will die of breast cancer during 2003." (Source:
September / October 2003