Angle down icon An icon within the form of an angle pointing down. JoAnn Pushkin along with her husband throughout her chemo remedies after she was recognized with late-stage breast most cancers. JoAnn Pushkin JoAnn Pushkin was vigilant about getting breast most cancers screening and performing self-exams.She was recognized late as a result of she had “dense breasts,” making most cancers invisible on her mammograms.Pushkin grew to become an advocate for elevating consciousness round breast density. JoAnn Pushkin did every little thing she might to identify breast most cancers early. She began getting annual mammograms at 40, the really helpful age to start screening. She additionally adopted a nutritious diet, usually exercised, and carried out extra self-exams, regardless of solely having one aunt with breast most cancers and no different danger elements.However at 45, she felt a lump. She was shortly recognized with later-stage breast most cancers.Pushkin was shocked — one other mammogram nonetheless confirmed no indicators of a tumor. A technician defined that Pushkin had dense breasts, which makes tumors tougher to identify on mammograms.Pushkin was floored, particularly when she realized that round 40% of ladies have dense breasts. “I am going on for the ultrasound and there it’s, clear as a bell,” Pushkin, now 64, advised Enterprise Insider. “So on the identical day I realized I had breast most cancers, I realized I had dense breasts, and I realized it had been missed as a result of I had dense breasts.”Her late analysis meant Pushkin wanted a double mastectomy, seven surgical procedures, and eight rounds of chemotherapy. 5 years later, the most cancers got here again and she or he wanted 30 rounds of radiation.Even giant tumors are arduous to identify in some mammograms A side-by-side mammogram picture of most cancers in a “not dense” breast and a “dense” breast. DenseBreast-info “Dense” breasts have extra glands and fibrous tissue, which makes them seem completely different on mammograms. As a result of dense tissue and most cancers each seem white on mammograms, the most cancers can mix proper in, going utterly unnoticed till the most cancers advances, because it did in Pushkin’s case.Moreover, having dense breasts additionally will increase your danger of growing breast most cancers, although the CDC mentioned scientists are nonetheless not sure why. At first, Pushkin thought she had a uncommon situation. “I get house and discover out 40% of ladies have dense breasts,” she mentioned. She shortly realized that different screening strategies, like ultrasounds or MRIs, would have discovered her most cancers a lot earlier.Pushkin, now the chief director of the tutorial useful resource DenseBreast-info, remains to be shocked and livid that she was by no means knowledgeable she had dense breasts within the 5 years she acquired annual screenings. “I felt betrayed,” she mentioned.As of late, she needs to be much more vigilant, testing extra usually and coping with the unwanted side effects of so many remedies. “What might have been an early stage analysis with perhaps a lumpectomy and again to work the following day wound up being very lengthy drawn out,” she mentioned.This yr, new federal laws to guard girls with dense breasts Pushkin with Katie Couric and US representatives Rosa DeLauro and Brian Fitzpatrick as they introduce the “Discover It Early” Act in 2023. JoAnn Pushkin Infuriated by how preventable her later-stage most cancers analysis was, Pushkin got down to elevate consciousness about breast density. She began in New York state, the place she resides, serving to to cross a legislation that requires docs to flag excessive breast density after a mammogram.Within the years since, she has chipped away at laws nationwide, testifying earlier than the FDA and writing to lawmakers. This yr, on September 10, 2024, it would change into a federal regulation for healthcare practitioners to tell sufferers with dense breasts of their most cancers dangers.Whereas the brand new federal requirement is a big victory, Pushkin can not help however consider the advocates who’re not round to rejoice along with her.”A few of them have been preventing for these legal guidelines actually whereas sitting in chemo chairs, getting infusions whereas they’re preventing for these legal guidelines,” she mentioned. “When you concentrate on the truth that these 39 state legal guidelines have been fought for by sick girls, it’s fairly one thing that these girls and their households have paid the value for this,” she mentioned. The right way to assess your individual riskWomen who’re at excessive danger for breast most cancers (no matter breast density) ought to have a yearly MRI along with a mammogram.You may as well discuss to your physician about extra screening strategies like MRIs or ultrasounds.”It isn’t a one-size-fits-all,” Pushkin mentioned. However for ladies with dense breasts, an annual mammogram needs to be step one in getting screened — and possibly not be the final.