Early detection is key to best breast cancer outcome

Patient Beverly Beasley kept up with her annual mammogram at the insistence of her primary care provider, a practice that paid off when a cancer in her right breast was discovered at stage zero.

Don’t put off having an annual mammogram. That’s the advice WellMed patient Beverly Beasley gives friends and relatives, and if they express hesitation, she pushes them to do it.

Beverly should know – she was diagnosed with cancer in her right breast after her mammogram showed an abnormality in late 2022.

Because she kept up with her annual screenings at the insistence of her primary care provider Dr. Riya Joseph at WellMed at South Buckner, the cancer was caught at stage zero, a very early detection and best-case scenario when diagnosed with breast cancer.

“Mammograms only take a few minutes, but can add years to your life,” Dr. Joseph said.

When Dr. Joseph called her a few days after her mammogram, Beverly couldn’t imagine why. Then she remembered the screening and got nervous.

“They saw something in the mammogram and had me go re-test,” she recalled. “Sure enough, they detected cancer.”

The type of cancer that Beverly had is called DCIS, or ductal carcinoma in situ, stage 0.

“Stage 0 means there is no evidence of cancer cells or non-cancerous abnormal cells and that the abnormal cells have not spread to adjoining breast tissue or outside of the breast,” Dr. Joseph explained.

In other words, about the best news she could get under the circumstances.

That doesn’t mean it was easy, though. Hitting a few snags through early testing almost made her give up. Once, when she showed up for a test, she was told she needed a referral, which she didn’t have because of a mix-up. Overwhelmed, Beverly was grateful her sister was there to keep her steady.

“I was ready to quit,” Beverly said. “The doctors told me not to quit or I would have to start the tests all over again.”

After a biopsy and other pre-surgery tests, Beverly opted to have a lumpectomy, a breast cancer surgery in which the abnormal cells in the breast are removed along with some of the surrounding tissue, which is then tested for abnormal cells.

To prepare for the lumpectomy, or what is now known as breast-conserving surgery, Beverly had a small device placed in her breast at the location of the cancer. Such devices contain radioactive or magnetic “seeds” that guide the surgeon to the exact spot of the cancer. Other seeds contain radio frequency reflectors, which emit a signal that is picked up by a hand-held device during surgery.

Beverly had the surgery in April 2023 and the cancer was found to be contained in a small area.

“It’s like I was never sick,” Beverly said. “I visited the oncologist for information on radiation, but my report was so good, I didn’t need further treatment.”

After another mammogram about six months later, Beverly is back to a once-a-year screening. She did have a scare in the past year when a lump was found in her other breast, but it turned out to be non-cancerous.

Beverly is grateful to have Dr. Joseph as her primary care physician.

“She is a great doctor,” she said. “I appreciate that she cares for me and stays on top of what I need to do.”

As for preventive screenings?

“Dr. Joseph reminds me when it’s time for my exams and reminds me that if I don’t follow up with these tests, it can cause bigger problems in the future,” Beverly said.

 

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