Christina Bentlee, 57, was diagnosed with breast cancer in November, 2018. The London retail worker went through arduous chemotherapy, surgery to remove one of her breasts, and plastic surgery to replace it. Then she learned she never had breast cancer to begin with.
Four years ago, Bentlee visited a walk-in clinic seeking a referral for a mammogram because of a lump in her left breast. She told the doctor that she had been aware of the lump for about 10 years, and soon after her mammogram, she had a biopsy.
Read MoreAfter Bentlee's surgery, a different pathologist found that the 2018 biopsy was misdiagnosedit was benign and didn't show cancer. In October 2019, after Bentlee had gone through multiple grueling treatments, her surgeons told her that she had never had breast cancer. The next month, Dr. Roden corrected his 2018 diagnosis, reporting that there was no evidence of malignancy.
On top of her treatments, Bentlee has had to go back in for multiple operations to address complications and infections. All of these procedures have been challenging logistically and emotionally. Bentlee told the Vancouver Sun that we was "kind of in shock" when she learned that she had been misdiagnosed. "I didn't know what to think. It took me quite a while to realize, 'Oh my God, I don't have cancer.' If that makes sense," she said.
Early stage breast cancer is extremely common today. Find out about new treatments and research from leading doctors in the field.
When Should I Get a Mammogram?
Among doctors, there is a wide consensus that women should have annual mammograms between the ages of 45 and 54. There is some disagreement, however, regarding whether women between the ages of 40 and 45 will benefit from mammograms. These options are important to discuss with your doctor in the context of your personal profile of potential risk factors.
Some women older than 55 may choose to continue having annual mammograms, but they can also opt to have one every two years, says Dr. Connie Lehman, Chief of the Breast Imaging Clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. According to Dr. Lehman, post-menopausal women can reduce the frequency of your mammograms to every other year.
Breast cancer survivor Melissa Turks encourages you to look forward to a rich life beyond breast cancer.
Again, choices regarding mammograms and the frequency of breast cancer screenings should be made in conversation with your doctor. And if you fit into the high-risk category, meaning you have a first-degree relative who has had breast cancer, you have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, or had radiation to the chest area when you were young, Dr. Lehman says you should start yearly mammogram screening as early as age 30.
According to our medical reviewers, mammograms are necessary regardless of your family history–most women who develop breast cancer have no family history or other identifiable risk factors. Getting mammograms regularly at the recommended intervals can help spot early signs of anything that may be potentially harmful. By taking this precaution, you can give yourself the best possible chance of catching cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages.
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