Assessing Cancer risk for younger females

Didi_89

Hi All,

I am 28 years old and my mom (50yrs old) was diagnosed with high grade DCIS, about months ago - no invasive component. It was your basic case of DCIS which showed up as microcalcifications. The DCIS was removed via lumpectomies and radiation treatment will occur in a couple weeks.

Questions:

1. Since my mom has DCIS what age should I get my mammograms at? Do I have to wait until I am 40 or can I insist on getting it early and would the doctor accept? The reason I ask is because DCIS can live in your system unnoticed for many years especially if it is low grade (fact you may not know: DCIS does not progress from low grade to high grade, if it is born as low grade it remains low grade in your body throughout the years, it will not escalate from low to intermediate or to high, likewise if you have high grade DCIS, it remains high grade, even if you get a reoccurence it comes back as high grade), anyway why wait until a woman is 40? What if DCIS is being born in a woman in her 20s or 30s by the time she gets a mammogram at 40 it means the DCIS was allowed to exist in her system for 10 to 20 years. Isnt that waiting too long? Can I get my mammogram at 30 or 35? Or are they gonna feed me the same nonsense about my breasts being too dense for a mammo? My breasts are fairly large (DD).

2. Could I do genetic testing or am I not a candidate since nobody else in my family had BC? The thing is no female in my family has been tested yet. I have an aunt (moms sister) who is 48 yrs never been tested no case of BC or DCIS, and two aunts (dads sisters) who are about 65yrs and 75 yrs none of which have been tested nor had any case of DCIS or BC. My mom did not get tested either. My grandma (moms side) got hysterectomy in her 30s so she never got BC and she is about 75 now. My grandma (dads side) lived to 90, but died of natural illness and never got tested either. So could I do any test that can assess my risk? Or am I not a candidate for these types of testing?

Thanks!

light1candle

Hi Didi 89. I'm sorry I don't know an answer to your first question about when you can begin testing. I suspect that would be a good question to bring to your next Dr. appt.

But I do want to share something about genetic testing from my own experience. I am much older than you (or your Mom) but was recently diagnosed with LCIS. I do not have a history of breast cancer in my family, but my brother has had prostate cancer, and my father and all four grandparents had one type of cancer or another. The folks at the breast clinic put my information in a computer risk calculator and my risk for invasive cancer came out as around 50% in the next 10 years. However they dismissed the idea of genetic testing for me. I decided to try testing with Color Genomics, which tests for 30 genetic mutations associated with cancer for $249, including about 12 that are associated with breast cancer (including BRCA1 & 2). I understand that some insurance companies will pay for the Color Genomics test, but I decided it was priced low enough to pay for it myself. If a mutation is found, the price I paid includes a telephone conference with a genetic counselor and I can have the results sent to my doctors. So... if you feel strongly about being tested, you can arrange for it yourself with a company such as Color Genomics,.

MTwoman

You can, most certainly, do the Color Genomics test.

Food for thought. What if comes back as no mutations? Will that satisfy you? Because speaking to a genetics counselor only seems to come for that price if you have a mutation. Typically with genetics testing ordered through your physician, you speak with a genetics counselor FIRST, and then, if he/she determines that you should, you are tested (after discussing the pros and cons of that decision). With only having a mom (one relative) with dcis diagnosis at 50 (instead of someone considered "young"), they may not recommend it. I would start by going to your doctor and discussing your concerns with him/her. Talk about what other risks you might have, and what his/her recommendation would be for an imaging schedule. Also, it isn't "nonsense" about young women and breast density. It's medical fact. There are real medical reasons (based in scientific research) why the recommendation is for mammos starting at 40, unless you are a person that has an increased risk. So please do talk to your medical provider to better understand your personal risks.