How Self-Exams Can Help with Early Detection
- Philecia La’Bounty, 36, is urging others to “push” for answers when it comes to health after having difficulty with her sports bra ultimately led to her stage four breast cancer diagnosis, which was initially dismissed as a “benign cyst.”
- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends women at average breast cancer risk begin screening for breast cancer at age 40. Women with the BRCA gene mutation, who have a family history of cancer or have dense breasts, are at higher risk and should talk with their doctor about when to screen which may be younger than 40.
- Her story highlights the importance of early detection and advocating for your health.
- SurvivorNet experts recommend performing a monthly breast self-exam to look for anything unusual because it can help catch breast cancer.
- Talk to your doctor if you notice one or more of the following symptoms: a new lump in the breast, unusual sagging, new swelling in the breast, changes to the nipple (such as puckering), flaking or redness in the breast or nipple, discharge (including blood) coming from the nipple and pain in the breast.
Philecia La’Bounty, who often takes to TikTok and Instagram to keep her followers updated in her cancer journey, first noticed a “marble-sized” lump in her breast when she was 29 years old, at a movie theater with her boyfriend. She sought medical advice right away, however, she was told it was likely just a benign cyst.
Read More@philecialabounty Misdiagnosed lump that turned into stage 4 breast cancer #cancertok #breastcancer #stage4cancer ♬ original sound – Philecia
In an earlier interview with “Good Morning America,” La’Bounty explained, “I had a sports bra on and it became a little uncomfortable. I adjusted myself and on my left breast, I felt a small [lump], probably the size of a marble, just something that wasn’t really normal for me.”
It was that moment that prompted her to make an appointment with her doctor, which led her to get an ultrasound of the lump done and a physical examination.
“The results came back that it was just a benign cyst. Nothing out of the ordinary. No concerns, my bloodwork turned out great,” she said, noting that if the lump grew bigger she should get checked again.
She even took to TikTok to tell her followers she had “perfect blood work, no other symptoms, no other masses, so they denied any other treatment, told me I was too young to have breast cancer, that I was healthy it was just a cyst and come back if it bothered me.”
By the time she received her diagnosis, her cyst had increased to 8cm.
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Looking back on how she noticed the lump, she explained in one of her TikTok posts that when she moved her sports bra while sitting in the movie theater with a sports bra on that “was a little too big.”
She continued, “So the underpart of my left boob was kind of pinched underneath it. So I stuck my hand down my shirt and lifted my boob up, because I have bigger breasts, and to put it back in my sports bra, and when I did that I picked up the bottom of my left breast.
“And I felt something that was a little smaller than a marble, but it definitely did not feel like my breast tissue.”
La’Bounty recounted asking her boyfriend after the movies, in 2018 (when they had been dating for approximately four years) to also feel for the lump, which he agreed it didn’t feel like the rest of her breast tissue.
Expert Breast Cancer Resources
- Mammograms Are Still the Best Tool for Detecting Breast Cancer — A Warning About Thermography
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- Getting to Know Your Breasts with Self-Exams
- Samantha Harris, Breast-Cancer Survivor: ‘Feel Your Melons!’ Why Breast Self-Exams Matter Now, More Than Ever
- Genetic Testing Is Increasingly Driving Treatment For Breast Cancer And May Actually Help Lower Costs
Eight months later her cyst grew into her left breast and was “very bothersome,” La’Bounty described.
After going back to the same free clinic she initially went to, she recalled, “When I went back this time it was, ’emergency mammogram, emergency ultrasound, which she kept doing the ultrasound she kept going out for an opinion and coming back in, and that’s exactly when I knew that it was cancer.”
A few days later she went to another doctor, who told her she had to immediately go to a breast cancer facility.
She recounted, “That’s where I had eight biopsies, I forget how many in each breast, and one in my armpit. The next day following that I had an emergency PET scan and MRI. After that I was diagnosed with stage four ductal carcinoma in-situ and I was immediately put on six rounds of chemotherapy.”
Fast forward to 2024, La’Bounty has continued treatment and took to Instagram a few weeks ago to say, “Recovering from last year has been brutal but I’m starting to finally feel as normal as someone with stage 4 cancer can feel. Slow, steady and determined.”
WATCH: Why advocating for your health is important.
In another post she wrote, “2023 was full of bad scans, chemo, surgeries, hospital stays and lots of tears but I survived it. I made it through hell, AGAIN and I’m finally starting to work full time again, such a blessing but it’s incredibly challenging. I’ve been in chemo chairs and hospital beds for the last year! My body is so tired.”
Last year she had reconstruction surgery in October, after completing more treatment for another type of “aggressive” breast cancer she was told she had.
According to People, La’Bounty said in May 2023 Instagram post, “I saw my oncologist last week before my mom left, and we got the pathology report from my mastectomy. Unfortunately, they found a mass that was a different type of breast cancer than what I’ve been fighting. So in a week or two I will be starting 12 rounds of IV chemo again and if I don’t do cold capping, I will lose my hair again.
“After that, I will be doing antibody infusions every three weeks for an entire year to make sure that the new type of cancer is completely gone .They’re confident that it’s nowhere else in my body but it is a very aggressive type of breast cancer so we need to make sure that we just get it all. It’s really hard feeling like I’m going backwards in my journey.”
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She concluded, “Being stage 4, you always know this is a possibility but we hope that it never happens. And now that it’s happening, it’s really hard. But I’m trying to stay positive that I am very blessed to be able to fight again. I’m scared because my body’s a little weaker than it was last time but my doctor reassured me that this chemo is very well tolerated.
“I’m just going to get through it like I did last time.”
According to GMA, an important message from La’Bounty following her initial diagnosis is, “If you take one thing from my story it’s to push for yourself.
“Don’t settle unless you absolutely know 100% that you what you’re going through is ‘normal’ or it’s not going to risk your health, that you know that you did everything in your power and then some to get what you deserve.”
WATCH: Speak Up if You Think Something Is Wrong
Should I Be Getting A Mammogram?
There is a wide consensus in the medical community that women 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 the age for breast cancer screening could save 19% more lives. For women aged 55 and older, the American Cancer Society recommends getting a mammogram every other year. However, for women in this age group who want added reassurance, they can still get annual mammograms.
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 for developing breast cancer, you should begin screening earlier.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Connie Lehman, chief of the Breast Imaging Division at Massachusetts General Hospital, said people who hadn’t reached menopause yet should prioritize getting a mammogram every year.
When Should I Get a Mammogram?
“We know that cancers grow more rapidly in our younger patients, and having that annual mammogram can be lifesaving,” Dr. Lehman said.
“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,” she said.
Treating Stage 4 Breast Cancer
Stage 4 breast cancer means that your cancer has spread to distant areas of the body. It is no longer regionalized to the breast. It is also known as metastatic breast cancer.
While there is no cure for metastatic breast cancer, doctors have a lot of options to treat this stage of the advanced disease and more options are being studied and developed constantly.
The current treatment options include hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted drugs. Sometimes surgery and/or radiation is considered.
WATCH: The Promise of Immunotherapy for Cancer Treatment
Though it can be scary to find that you have late-stage cancer, new treatments have improved the outlook for stage 4 cancer, according to the leading medical experts SurvivorNet consulted. These new treatments are increasing the lifespan of women with metastatic disease.
For women with HER2-positive breast cancer, meaning they have high levels of a protein called HER2 on the surface of their cancer cells, targeted treatments are available. The drugs trastuzumab (Herceptin) and pertuzumab (Perjeta) have transformed the outlook for some women with late-stage breast cancers.
These therapies, which are often combined with chemo, are very effective at controlling breast cancer once it has spread.
Another big advancement has come in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer. This has historically been one of the most aggressive and hardest to treat forms of the disease because it lacks any of the main drivers of breast cancerthe estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor, and the HER2 receptorand it doesn’t respond to treatments that target these receptors.
A Leading Expert Discusses Metastatic Breast Cancer
Now, in addition to chemotherapy, immunotherapy has been approved to treat triple-negative breast cancer. In studies, this new therapy has been shown to extend the lives of women with this type of cancer.
For postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive and HER2-negative breast cancers, a newer class of drugs called CDK4/6 inhibitors are available. These drugs have been shown to improve survival in some women with metastatic cancer.
Overall, there is no one-size-fits-all type of breast cancer treatment, so options may include:
- Surgery: To remove a cancerous tumor or lymph nodes (uncommon with stage IV; more common in stages I, II, and III)
- Chemotherapy: Oral or IV medications that are toxic to tumor cells
- Clinical trials: Studies of new medications, treatments, and other therapies offer hope for better outcomes
- Radiation: The use of high-energy rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors
- Hormone therapy: Drugs that lower estrogen levels or block estrogen receptors from allowing the cancer cells to grow
- Targeted therapy: Drugs that target your tumor’s specific gene mutations
- Immunotherapy: Medications that stimulate your immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells
Treating Metastatic Breast Cancer
Bottom line, there are more and more options becoming available for patients to manage symptoms of advanced-stage disease, and it’s best to talk about specific treatment plans and what is best for you with your own doctor.
How to Cope with Your Emotions During Treatment
As any cancer warrior will tell you, a cancer diagnosis and the journey that follows can be extremely emotional. Some cancer patients keep their journeys private while others, like La’Bounty, share it with the public.
For La’Bounty, her cancer journey has been in the public spotlight for a few years. Her strength and grace have given many cancer warriors hope. It’s likely her positive mindset is helping her get through the hard times amid cancer.
Many SurvivorNet experts will say having a positive determined mindset while battling cancer can make all the difference. However, positivity in the face of adversity is not always easy to grasp.
“People have a range of emotions when they’re diagnosed with cancer,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik previously explained to SurvivorNet.
“They can include fear, anger – and these emotions tend to be fluid. They can recede and return based on where someone is in the process. Going through a cancer diagnosis is just the beginning of a complicated, complicated process,” Dr. Plutchik added.
SurvivorNet has a list of resources to help you cope if you find yourself struggling to maintain your mental health.
Here are some things you can do to boost your positive mindset and mental health.
- Seeking professional help from a psychiatrist or therapist
- Learning healthy coping skills
- Medication such as antidepressants
- Adding more physical activity to your routine
- Adjusting your sleep schedule
- Connecting with others via support groups
- Mindfulness and meditation
Advocating for Yourself
Everyone should be their own biggest advocate, especially when it comes to their health. This skill becomes even more important when you sense your doctor might be dismissing your symptoms.
By advocating for yourself, you can make sure that your doctor sees you as an individual and doesn’t fall back on assumptions.
Dr. Zuri Murrell from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles urges patients to push back when they feel that something is off.
“The truth is you have to be in tune with your body, and you realize that you are not the statistic,” Dr. Murrell told SurvivorNet. “That’s why it’s important for you to actually educate yourself and be your own health care advocate.”
What To Ask Your Doctor
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may have questions about how to keep your strength through treatment. Here are a few questions to help you begin the conversation with your doctor:
- What treatment will I be receiving?
- What side effects are associated with this treatment?
- Are there steps I can take in my daily life to help minimize these side effects?
- What physical activity routine do you recommend for me during treatment?
- Do you have recommendations for someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy exercise?
- Can you recommend a dietician who can help me with healthy eating tips and maintaining a healthy weight?
- I’ve been having trouble sleeping, do you have any treatment recommendations?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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