Prioritizing breast health important for any age

By Ashley Luthans

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it is crucial for women to screen for and be aware of breast issues, no matter their age.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women in the United States, affecting hundreds of thousands of women annually.

Dr. Mandalyn Mills, a general and breast surgeon at Mosaic Life Care, explained that women should start getting annual mammograms at age 40, with the exception of people who have family history.

“In general, if you have a first-degree relative, such as a mother that had breast cancer, you wanna try to start your screening even 10, five to 10 years before they were diagnosed with their breast cancer,” Mills said.

However, breast cancer can happen to anyone.

Angela Smith was 34 when she found out that she had breast cancer in March of 2020.

“It should’ve not happened to me,” Smith said. “I had no family history, I tested for every genetic test they could give me and I tested negative for everything. I was 34 years old, I was healthy, I was working out every day, I was meal-prepping. I was doing everything that I was supposed to do that was right, and I still had cancer.”

Smith went through chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, and has been officially cancer-free since December of 2020.

But she said that even though her treatment is over, life is still challenging for her as well as other survivors.

“Just be kind because people, you don’t know what they’re struggling with,” Smith said. “You know, my cancer’s gone, my treatment’s gone, that’s great and I’m blessed and I’m happy, but just the things that come after that and the constant pain and the PTSD and that fear that all will continue probably for the rest of my life.”

Going to the doctor as soon as you notice something abnormal provides the best chance of treating the problem quickly.

“The earlier that we find this, the earlier that we have a diagnosis, the easier it is and the faster that we’re able to treat it,” Mills said.

Mills said that it is extremely important to be aware of your body and know what “normal” is for you.

“There’s no shame in looking at your body and making sure that you know what normal is for you, so that if you do find a lump, you can tell if that’s new or old or how long its been there,” Mills said. “And it’s very helpful if you do end up having something more concerning or that we need to look at with imaging, that we can track that.”