Breast cancer survivors warn women not to put off mammograms
Deborah Hyde missed getting her mammogram in 2019 and was behind schedule this year because of COVID.
But Hyde, 51, wasn’t worried because breast cancer does not run in her family, and she did not have any symptoms.
In April, Hyde got her mammogram, and was called back for another screening when the doctor saw that something wasn’t right.
Following a biopsy in May, Hyde was diagnosed with grade 3 HER2-positive breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease, leading to a mastectomy and chemotherapy.
“Don’t let something get in the way of getting a mammogram,” she said.
“If I missed it, I would have been in a different place than I am now. I had several people tell me, don’t go. I had no symptoms, but I just knew I needed to get this done,” she said.
October is breast cancer awareness month, and doctors and patients are concerned that screenings are down sharply this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Healthcare Cost Institute, mammograms fell 77% at the height of the pandemic and were still down 23% at the start of the summer.
The National Cancer Institute is projecting that as many as 10,000 additional deaths during the next 10 years from breast and colorectal cancer alone as a direct result of failing to get screened during the pandemic.
Dr. Chi Pham, a medical oncologist with Texas Oncology, said she is concerned that fewer people are getting their cancer screenings because of COVID, which could mean that cancer isn’t diagnosed right away.
When COVID-19 led to postponing procedures, including breast cancer screenings, it forced medical facilities to play catchup, she said.
Yet, she also hears from patients who are afraid to get their screenings because they are worried about catching the coronavirus.
“There were patients who came in, and their cancer was advanced. I asked them why they didn’t call a doctor, and they said they were afraid to leave the house,” Pham said.
“I find that the ones who are older are more scared than those who are younger,” she said.
Pham said patients are screened before coming for their appointments, and that Texas Oncology requires social distancing and for patients to wear masks.
“When they see that, they realize their fears are out of proportion,” she said.
Christina Thompson, who was also diagnosed with breast cancer, said she has no family history and delayed her mammogram because of the pandemic.
She had a double mastectomy but said she is grateful that the cancer was detected because things could have been far worse if she would have skipped her mammogram.
Thompson said she is having chemotherapy treatments because there is a 30 percent chance the cancer could return.
“To me, your risk of possibly having cancer is far far greater than catching COVID at the mammogram,” she said.
Thompson said that she actually got a mild case of COVID-19 before her surgery, but she said it was not tied to her mammogram or other medical appointments.
Thompson, 53, said she works out, and may have gotten the coronavirus while at one of the gyms. She said she has an optimistic outlook as she is waiting on the birth of her first grandchild.
“God isn’t done with me yet,” she said.
Hyde agrees that the cancer risks are higher than for COVID-19.
“Don’t let things get in the way of caring for yourself,” Hyde said.
“Getting a mammogram isn’t going to prevent cancer, but it can save your life,” Hyde said.
This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 5:30 AM.