‘How I knew I had breast cancer’: Survivors share their stories

You might think that finding a lump is the most common way to learn you have breast cancer. But more than half of all breast cancers in the U.S. are actually detected through mammograms now.

“About 60% are diagnosed through annual screening mammograms,” says breast medical oncologist Oluchi Oke, M.D. “I attribute that to a greater awareness of how important early detection is.”

Here’s how nine of our patients here at UT MD Anderson discovered they had breast cancer, in their own words. 

Screening mammograms

“I had no symptoms, so it was a shock,” recalls Angela Harris, a local research investigator who was diagnosed with stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma at age 44, after her very first mammogram. “The radiologist saw something called focal asymmetry on a scan of my left breast, so I had a breast ultrasound and then a breast biopsy.”

Marcela de leon Espinoza was also diagnosed with breast cancer by mammogram. But hers was a type called lobular carcinoma, she was 49, and it was not her first screening.

“At my previous mammogram, the doctor noticed a shadow on the scan of my left breast,” recalls the assistant VP of budgeting at UT Rio Grande Valley. “By the time I had my next mammogram, I’d already noticed some changes in the way my breast looked and felt that I knew were not normal.”

Lumps you can feel

That same body awareness is what led to a stage 2 breast cancer diagnosis for Dwan Thomas at age 36.

“I do monthly self-exams, and I just felt something a little different in my left breast,” says the chemical engineer and UT MD Anderson Advance Team member. “I finally saw a doctor about it a few months later. It turned out to be invasive ductal carcinoma.”

San Antonio resident Tenchita Urteaga had a similar experience when she was 38.

“I felt a lump one day while taking a shower,” says the Braille proof-reader and part-time healthcare interpreter. “I went to the doctor and had a breast ultrasound, but was told it was a benign cyst. Then, it started growing rapidly and hurting, so I went back. That’s when I was diagnosed with stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma.”

Changes you can see

Sometimes, people notice a difference in the way their breasts look, rather than feel or function. This was the case for environmental scientist Meagan Krupa, Ph.D., who was 45 when she was diagnosed with stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma.

“I started to notice dimpling on the surface of my right breast,” recalls the Nevada resident. “But I always did self-exams and I never felt a lump. So, I was shocked when a breast biopsy came back as IDC.”

Breastfeeding problems

In younger women, breast cancer symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for issues that are normally associated with breastfeeding. That was the case for Elisabeth Ponder, who was just 32 when she was diagnosed with stage 3 triple negative breast cancer.

“I was breastfeeding my 8-month-old daughter when I found a pretty hard mass in my left breast,” recalls the elementary school teacher from Central Texas. “I thought it was just a clogged milk duct, so I tried all the normal stuff to get it unclogged. Nothing worked. I went to a doctor when it started to hurt.”

Gretchen Lee Herrera, an intensive care nurse and mother of three, had a similar experience when she was diagnosed with stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer.

“I had just finished breastfeeding my 1-year-old when I felt a lump in my left breast during a shower,” she recalls. “I thought it was a clogged milk duct. I was only 36, so I wasn’t worried. But my OB/GYN insisted I have a mammogram the next day.”

Abnormal breast discharge

Debbie Wade hadn’t breastfed an infant in almost 30 years by the time she was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer called mucinous adenocarcinoma. The giveaway was an abnormal breast discharge that she first started experiencing at age 49 — four years before her diagnosis.

“I was on the phone when I felt something wet on my shirt over my left breast,” recalls the retired teacher from Missouri. “It was orange-tinged, and turned out to be caused by something called intraductal papillomas, or tiny wart-like growths that can develop in the milk ducts. I had them surgically removed, and was told it wouldn’t happen again. But a few years later, it did — and this time, the discharge was changing colors.”

When men get breast cancer

Though far less common that breast cancer in women, men can get breast cancer, too.

“I discovered a tiny lump under my left nipple,” says Dave Dudak, who was 71 when he was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. “It didn’t really bother me unless I bumped it up against something. Then, it hurt like the dickens. It also became inverted.”

“Since men don’t typically get mammograms,” notes Oke, “they tend to discover breast cancer due to a change in appearance. Even in cases where men have gynecomastia, or abnormal breast swelling due to a hormone imbalance, the breast tissue is so meager, you can usually see a lump.”

When to see a doctor for breast cancer symptoms  

Any time you notice something unusual about your breasts that persists for longer than a few weeks, you should get it checked out. But here are some “red flag” symptoms that warrant immediate investigation.

• Breast skin that looks red, pink or bruised (with no history of trauma)
• A thickening of the breast tissue
• Dimples on the breast surface that resemble orange peel (peau d’orange)
• A feeling of warmth or heaviness in the breast
• One breast suddenly growing larger than the other
• An inverted or retracted nipple

“All of these can be signs of an aggressive form of the disease called inflammatory breast cancer (IBC),” notes Oke. “But they can also be signs of neglected breast cancer, where you’ve had a mass for a long time, but just haven’t gotten it checked out yet.”

If symptoms come on fast (over just a few days or weeks), then they’re likely signs of IBC. If they come on more slowly, then they’re more likely due to a neglected breast cancer.

“At that point, though, time really is of the essence,” adds Oke. “IBC in particular tends to spread faster, and it can cause little lesions on the skin that can spread to the armpit and even cross over into the other breast. So, you really should be evaluated within a week or so.”

Schedule your mammogram at UT MD Anderson online or call 1-844-240-7092.