Sister newly diagnose with breast cancer

amorrow

Since my sister is newly diagnosed, I am concerned for my wellbeing as well. I have very dense breasts and the mammograms have come back normal. Should I have additional screening/testing since I now have a first degree family member with breast cancer. What should I have done?

Thanks.

SmoothOperator78

I am so sorry to read about your sister’s diagnosis. It is preferable not to go through all this, but I hope her journey through the process is as smooth and effective as possible.

If her insurance pays for it, she might benefit from a genetic test. That will tell you a lot about your level of risk.

Even with no concerning genetic mutations/variations, you’re still in a higher risk profile due to a first degree family member, especially if she was diagnosed before age 45. Talk to your doctor about this as soon as you can so you can be sorted into the right detection strategies depending on your risk factors.

Aram

amorrow, I am sorry about your sister. If you have dense breasts, mammo is not the nest diagnostic test for you. You should ask for ultrasound and/or breast MRI.

How old is your sister? If she is young, then usually genetic testing is offered to her.

PiperKay

I was 51 when first diagnosed and insurance paid for genetic testing (because of the triple negative status), but I probably would have paid for it myself because I have two sisters and a niece and a whole lot of cancer on both sides of my family. Interestingly - or not - they found no genetic mutations related to any of the cancers in my family. So my diagnosis falls in the "just bad luck" category. Unfortunately, one of my sisters just had a suspicious finding on a mammogram last week and is waiting for results from a second imgaging. (We both have dense breasts, and have been getting 3D mammos for years. That's how my tumor was found and it was rather small at 8 mm.) So as SmoothOperator says, even without a genetic mutation, you now have a first degree relative with BC which puts you in a higher general risk category.

Hoping for the best for you and your sister!