Applegate's Survivor Story
- Actress Christina Applegate beat breast cancer in 2008 when she was 37.
- The strong survivor underwent a double mastectomy to treat the disease, which was caught by an MRI.
- Screening for breast cancer via mammogram or MRI or breast biopsy is the key to detecting and treating this disease; regular mammograms can be life-saving.
Applegate’s Breast Cancer
Applegate’s breast cancer was detected in 2008 using an MRI. She began getting mammograms at age 30 because Applegate has the BRCA gene mutation, which increases the risk of getting breast cancer. Her mom is also a breast cancer survivor.Applegate’s MRI screening showed she had Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS); this is classified as stage 0 breast cancer and is not an invasive cancer. Following the diagnosis, Applegate had a double mastectomy the same year. Detecting breast cancer early by way of mammogram or MRI is key to fighting and treating this disease.
Breast Cancer Risk Factors
Dr. Senayet Agonafer, a Radiologist at Montefiore Medical Center, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, “One of the most frustrating things that I see in my office and in my practice is when a patient and African-American patients included come in with a huge, golf ball breast cancer that could have probably been diagnosed at an earlier age if they were receiving annual screening mammograms. The screening guidelines is that we start at the age of 40, and we do screening mammography annually.”
Related: Breast Cancer: Overview
Dr. Agonafer says that breast cancer risk factors play a part in the screening process. “For patients who are higher risk,” she said, “we also recommend screening with breast MRI. For patients who have dense breasts, which means that there’s more breast tissue on a mammogram than there is fat, we actually also recommend screening with ultrasound.”
Related: Women and Daughters and Risk
The key risk factors for breast cancer are age and family history. Mutations of the BRCA gene (specifically, BRCA1 and BRCA1) may increase the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. BRCA gene mutations can be passed down from family members.
Learn Your Risk and Listen to the Guidelines: An Important Message About Breast Cancer Awareness
Getting a Mammogram
Mammograms are one of the primary screening methods for detecting breast cancer. Dr. Connie Lehman, Chief of Breast Imaging Division Massachusetts General Hospital, told SuvivorNet in a previous interview, “If you haven’t gone through menopause yet, I think it’s very important that you have a mammogram every year.”
Related: When You're Getting a Mammogram, Ask About Dense Breasts
Dr. Lehman emphasized the life-saving nature of these screenings. “We know that cancers grow more rapidly in our younger patients, and having that annual mammogram can be lifesaving. After menopause, it may be perfectly acceptable to reduce that frequency to every two years. But what I’m most concerned about is the women who haven’t been in for a mammogram for two, three, or four years, those women that have never had a mammogram. We all agree regular screening mammography saves lives.”
When Should I Get a Mammogram?
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