Breast cancer shouldn’t come as a surprise at a certain age, but it did for me.
It was expected to make its appearance sooner — my mother had breast cancer in her late 40s, and learned in her 50s it had spread. But those were different times, and treatments have changed considerably for the better since then.
My diagnosis came later in life, and I learned it was a very different kind of breast cancer, not related to what my mother went through. It’s just bad luck, one of my doctors said, and not uncommon for women of a certain age.
Statistically, a senior woman, defined as 65 or older, has an increased risk of breast cancer, and the risk increases with age.
The Canadian Cancer Society recommends women 40 to 74 years old have a mammogram every two years. And if you are 75 or older, it suggests talking to your healthcare provider about whether having a mammogram is right for you. In Ontario, breast screening can be booked without a doctor’s referral from the ages of 40 to 74, and is covered by OHIP.
Cancer Care Ontario lists the benefits of regular breast cancer screening: it can increase the chances of successful treatment and reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer, both of which sound pretty positive to me. It also states it can lead to false positives, causing increased stress and anxiety; it can produce a false negative, missing cancer on a mammogram; and it can result in over-diagnosis, which it defines as “finding a cancer that would not otherwise cause health problems, that may lead to unneeded surgery or treatment.”
Really not too sure how many cancers do not cause health problems, but all of this points to the need for women to talk to their doctor about when a mammogram is appropriate.
I feel very fortunate my family doctor (thank you Dr. Durocher of the local family health team) mentioned last spring that I was overdue for a mammogram. For some reason, instead of procrastinating, which would have been much my typical response, I went home and made an appointment.
And there began a journey that led to surgery and a follow-up regimen of chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments for a small but aggressive tumour.
At one point during a meeting with my oncologist, I was extremely grateful when she turned to my 40-something daughter sitting beside me and spent about 10 minutes talking directly to her about the benefits of screening for women in their 40s, leading in her case to a mammogram with a good-news result.
All of which to say while every woman has to decide for herself when and if to have a mammogram, I feel quite confident that the benefits outweigh any potential harm, and that in my case led to a timely diagnosis and treatment which will give me more time to spend in good health, enjoying the company of those I love.
Despite being a private person, I’ve decided to share my experience in the hope that it might be helpful to other women who might be considering their own options.
It’s been an adventure for sure, with some lessons learned along the way. One is how much cancer treatments have evolved to target specific cancers, and that there are also better medications to help mitigate side-effects, including the nausea we associate with chemotherapy.
Hair loss, however, seems pretty much a given for most, although certainly not all patients going through chemo, and it’s a small price to pay for life-saving treatment.
Another lesson I’ve embraced is the importance of being positive, for both mental and physical health. And to help with that, I can’t say enough about the professionals I met and the care and compassion I’ve witnessed them giving to those going through treatment.
We hear enough negativity about health care in Ontario, and certainly in Niagara, but not about the Walker Family Cancer Centre or Hamilton’s Juravinski Cancer Centre. The people I’ve encountered are dedicated not only to providing the best professional care they can offer, but doing it with kindness, understanding and sensitivity for their patients. They will pause by our side to answer our medical questions, and offer emotional support along with the physical treatment they administer. They appear to genuinely love their jobs, helping us get through a difficult time in an atmosphere so positive that those who have never visited a cancer centre might find it hard to imagine.
There must be a reason those in the medical professions choose cancer care — while it might sound like a depressing option, they seem to be very special people who instead create a cheerful and comfortable environment for those in their care.
Everyone knows someone affected by cancer, and not all will have the outcome they are hoping for. My experience is certainly influenced by an easier treatment regimen than many experience, along with the feeling of extreme good fortune that it is leading to a successful result.
And while nobody wants to hear that dreaded diagnosis, we can be confident that if we do, whether for ourselves or a loved one, outstanding care is available not too far from home for those who need it.
