She remembered what she said when she got her own diagnosis.

“One of the first things I said was I’m so glad it’s me and not my mom, because it’s just something I would never want her to have to go through.”

Linda, 76, had a mammogram at the end of August, almost exactly two years after Bahl found her own lump, Bahl told Yahoo. “The timing is wild,” she said.

Her mom has stage 1 breast cancer and is not expected to need chemotherapy. Bahl said her mother’s tumor was the “size of a raisin,” compared with her own, which was the size of a golf ball.

“I am just so grateful that she did her exam, went to her mammogram, and they found it,” Bahl said.

Bahl’s Own Diagnosis Came During IVF

Bahl was diagnosed in September 2024 with stage 2, HER2-positive breast cancer while undergoing her sixth round of IVF, according to SI Swimsuit. She found the lump herself and told her fertility doctor, who sent her for imaging.

“I found [my lump] through self-exam, but when I found it, it was already bigger than the size of a golf ball,” said Bahl, who has no family history of breast cancer.

“It was so deep in my breast, and I have dense breast tissue, so it was really hard [to detect].” A biopsy confirmed the cancer had spread to a nearby lymph node.

Over the next year and a half, she had chemotherapy, a lumpectomy, surgery to remove four lymph nodes, and 15 rounds of radiation. She also had immunotherapy, which continued after radiation. She had her last active treatment on May 19, 2026, and now has no evidence of disease.

What HER2-positive Means

HER2 is a protein that helps breast cancer cells grow quickly, and about 15% to 20% of breast cancers make too much of it, according to the American Cancer Society. HER2-positive cancers tend to grow and spread faster than HER2-negative ones.

The upside is that these cancers are much more likely to respond to drugs that target the HER2 protein. Every invasive breast cancer should be tested for HER2, either on the biopsy sample or after surgery.

Doctors also test tumors for hormone receptors, proteins that let estrogen or progesterone fuel cancer growth. Cancers with these receptors are usually treated with hormone therapy; cancers without them are not. Together, HER2 and hormone receptor status shape a patient’s treatment plan.

Bahl’s treatment involved immunotherapy, which lingered after she received multiple rounds of radiotherapy.

WATCH: Is Immunotherapy Effective in Treating Breast Cancer?

“In more recent years, immunotherapy has revolutionized certain cancers, like the treatment of melanoma and the treatment of lung cancer and the treatment of kidney cancer. And the next frontier is to try to really understand whether immunotherapy may be relevant for breast cancers,” Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at NYU Langone, tells SurvivorNet.

“The complicated thing about breast cancer is there isn’t just one marker that the immune system can identify to attack. Each breast cancer is very different, and they may be almost cloaked in an invisible shield. So, when the immune system, certain immune cells, are going to try to attack it, they aren’t able to recognize that a bad cancer is there.”

Now She’s the Caregiver

Bahl said having been through treatment helps her guide her mom.

“Here’s all the things we need to do,” she recalled thinking. “I’ve been through this. I know exactly how to help you.”

As a caregiver, your role is to be the best advocate possible for the patient. While assisting with various tasks, it is essential to let them maintain a sense of independence whenever possible. Cancer caregivers can help track symptoms, navigate finances, and manage emotions—but they should also let the person they are caring for speak up about what they genuinely need throughout the process.

WATCH: The First Steps to Take as a Caregiver When a Loved One is Diagnosed With Cancer

“Some of the best examples that I have seen in caregivers are those spouses or loved ones who really, almost sit back and allow the patient, or they want the patient to express what the patient feels first, rather than barging in,” gynecologic oncologist Dr. Jayanthi Lea told SurvivorNet.

“…Step back a little bit and let the patient speak for themselves. Let them express what they are feeling. That is so important for the patient’s overall quality of life and well-being,” Dr. Lea added.

Moving from child to caregiver is a real shift, and parents can find it hard to accept help from an adult child, the National Cancer Institute notes. Dr. Vinh Nguyen of MD Anderson Cancer Center suggests adult children:

• Learn the parent’s health history. Knowing medications, allergies, and past illnesses helps fill gaps for the care team.
• Support the parent’s goals. “Your role is to support your parent and their personal treatment goals,” Nguyen says.
• Take notes. Write down the care team’s names, medications, and questions, including ones from other relatives.
• Care for yourself. Watch for anxiety, depression, or burnout, and consider a support group.

Bahl is also thinking about patients who don’t have her resources. She recalled that her mother raised her alone and wondered how people manage treatment while juggling child care, groceries, and rides. “What do people do?” she asked.

What a Mother’s Diagnosis Means for Family Risk

Having one first-degree relative, such as a mother, sister, or daughter, with breast cancer almost doubles a woman’s risk, according to the American Cancer Society. Two first-degree relatives can triple it.

Age at diagnosis matters too. A relative diagnosed after 60 raises risk less than one diagnosed younger. Up to 10% of breast cancers are thought to be hereditary, caused by gene changes passed down in families, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Bahl’s story shows the other side as well: she had no family history when she was diagnosed.Although breast cancer can happen to anyone, there are certain factors that can increase a person’s risk of getting the disease. The known risk factors for breast cancer include:

• Older age
• Having a gene mutation such as BRCA1 or BRCA2
• Added exposure to estrogen
• Having children after the age of 30
• Exposure to radiation early in life
• Family history of the disease

Dr. Comen breaks down factors that may increase your breast cancer risk.

“Some people think that breast cancer is only inherited through genes on the mom’s side but it can also be related to a genetic mutation that can be found on the father’s side,” Dr. Comen explained.

When to Screen for Breast Cancer

The medical community has a broad consensus that women should have annual mammograms between the ages of 45 and 54. However, an independent panel of experts called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is saying that women should now start getting mammograms every other year at the age of 40, suggesting that this lowered age for breast cancer screening could save 19% more lives.

The American Cancer Society recommends getting a mammogram every other year for women 55 and older. However, women in this age group who want added reassurance can still get annual mammograms.

WATCH: When you’re getting a mammogram, ask about dense breasts.

Women with a strong family history of breast cancer, a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of breast cancer, such as a BRCA gene mutation, or a medical history, including chest radiation therapy before the age of 30, are considered at higher risk for breast cancer.

Experiencing menstruation at an early age (before 12) or having dense breasts can also put you into a high-risk category. If you are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer, you should begin screening earlier.

Screening Options for Women with Dense Breasts

Women with dense breasts should get additional screening to supplement their mammograms. Dense breasts mean more fibroglandular tissue, and less fatty breast tissue exists.

The dense tissue has a “masking effect on how well we can perceive cancer and find cancer on mammograms,” Dr. Cindy Ly, Chief of Breast Imaging and Vice Chair of Clinical Research and Faculty Affairs at the Stony Brook Renaissance School of Medicine, told SurvivorNet.

Glandular tissue within dense breasts appears white on mammograms, which can help mask potential cancer. The “frosted glass” effect from the glandular tissue can thus mask cancerous areas, especially developing ones. Undetected, these cancers can progress, growing large and advanced. They will then likely require more intensive treatments to cure, or can become incurable altogether.

WATCH: What is 3D Mammography?

“Digital mammography, it turns out, significantly improves the quality of the mammogram…It’s 3D or tomosynthesis mammography,” Dr. Connie Lehman, a diagnostic radiologist who specializes in breast cancer at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, explains.

“This allows us to find more cancers and to significantly reduce our false-positive rate. With digital mammography 3D tomosynthesis, we’re taking thin slices through that breast tissue, like slices of a loaf of bread. We can look at each slice independently rather than trying to see through the entire thickness of the loaf of bread. So those thin slices help us find things that were hidden in all the multiple layers,” Dr. Lehman adds.

Additional testing can be considered for dense breasts, depending on a woman’s personal history, preferences, and physician’s guidance. These tests include:

• 3-D Mammogram (Breast Tomosynthesis): This technology acquires breast imaging from multiple angles and digitally combines them into a 3D representation of the breast tissue. This allows physicians to see breast tissue architecture better, even in dense breasts. 3D mammograms are fast becoming the standard way of performing mammography.
• Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): An MRI machine uses magnets to create highly detailed, intricate images of the breast. These are mostly reserved for women with an extremely high breast cancer risk. Dense breasts alone may not be a valid reason to obtain a breast MRI. However, dense breasts in women with genetic mutations, like BRCA1 and BRCA2, or a strong family history of breast cancer, could justify obtaining breast MRIs.
• Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI): MBI is a newer imaging technique that uses a radioactive tracer to detect breast cancer. It is beneficial for women with dense breasts. However, MBI is not as widely available as other screening methods.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now requires facilities offering mammograms to notify patients about their breast tissue density and recommend they speak with a doctor to determine if further screening is necessary. There will be “uniform guidance” on what language to use and what details to share with the patient to make the communication clear and understandable.

Understanding Your Mammogram Report

A radiologist reading mammograms categorizes breasts into four different categories using the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS), a classification system developed by the American College of Radiology (ACR). These include:

• Fatty breast tissue: These breasts are mainly fat with very little dense tissue. Found in less than 10% of women, fatty breasts appear dark on mammograms.
  Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue: These breasts contain a mix of fatty and dense tissue (composed of glands and fibrous tissue). On a mammogram, they have dark areas (fatty tissue) intermixed with light areas (dense tissue). Around 40% of women have breasts that fall in this category.
• Heterogeneously dense breast tissue: This type of breast tissue has many areas of dense tissue and some areas of fat. Found in 40% of women, these breasts look mostly light, with some dark areas on a mammogram.
• Extremely dense breast tissue: Such breasts are almost entirely composed of dense glandular and fibrous connective tissues with very little fat. They are found in 10% of women and appear light on mammograms.

Your breasts are usually called dense on a mammogram report if they fall within the heterogeneously dense breast tissue or the extremely dense breast tissue categories.

How Can I Manage Mammogram Anxiety?

It’s common to feel anxious while awaiting mammogram results. This feeling is often called mammogram anxiety.

If you are awaiting test results and your nerves are running rampant, try doing something that relaxes you, such as exercising or listening to your favorite music. Breathing exercises and meditation can also help you relax.

SurvivorNet has more resources to help you manage your mental health while awaiting test results.

Breast Cancer Symptoms & Self-Exams

Women are encouraged to do regular self-exams to become familiar with how their breasts feel normally, so when something unusual, like a lump, does form, it can be easily detected. A self-exam includes pressing your fingertips along your breast in a circular motion.

For some women, that means going to their doctor and walking through what a self-breast exam looks like, so they know what normal breast tissue feels like, so if they do feel something abnormal, whether it’s a lump or discharge from the nipple, they know what to ask and what to look for.

Below are common symptoms to look out for:

• New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit)
• Any change in the size or shape of the breast
• Swelling of all or part of the breast
• Skin dimpling or peeling
• Breast or nipple pain
• Nipple turning inward
• Redness or scaling of the breast or nipple skin
• Nipple discharge (not associated with breastfeeding)

Questions to ask your doctor

• With my family history, when should I start mammograms, and how often?
• Do I have dense breasts, and do I need extra imaging?
• Should I see a genetic counselor?
• If my parent is diagnosed, what support is available for caregivers?

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