In rereading my initial post I realized it might be helpful to include a picture of what dense breasts look like on a screening mammogram. From a google search I found a good picture on the Breast Diagnostic Centre website. This medical centre has kindly granted me permission to post the picture below from their website on to this blog so you can see what I mean by the "white on white"!
The BDC website says that, "While there is no law yet in Washington State mandating mammography facilities to notify patients of their breast density and the option for supplemental ultrasound, it is clearly on the horizon. BDC (their clinic) is taking a proactive stance by notifying patients of their breast density via their mammogram report and providing education and the latest technology available, including 3D Mammography (tomosynthesis) and Ultrasound Breast Screening." Imagine the difference we could make if we could get the same proactive stance here in British Columbia and have women be notified if they have dense breasts. I can tell you that my life for one would be very different!
Mi-Jung Lee has a link to a website in the USA called Are You Dense? The site's mission statement reads, " Are You Dense, Inc. is dedicated to informing the public about dense breast tissue and its significance for the early detection of breast cancer." The site has lots of information and a story about a doctor who ended up with Stage III breast cancer. I can definitely relate to her experience! Between May 17, 2013 and November 25, 2013, I had 8 "dose-dense" sessions of chemo - 2 weeks apart, 28 days of radiation and then a modified radical mastectomy. On the 'Are You Dense?' website you can learn the fourteen states that have density reporting legislation to protect women from delayed diagnoses. Let's get the word out and try to make BC the first province to have the same kind of legislation.
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