Mammograms Matter
- Actress Sharon Stone, 65, had a breast cancer scare when a large tumor was discovered, though it ended up being noncancerous.
- Stone urged other women “don't ever feel compelled not to get a mammogram, not to get a blood test, not to get surgery” because it’s critical for your health.
- Women between the ages of 45 to 54 should have mammograms, low-dose x-rays that screen for breast cancer, annually. Anyone with a history of breast cancer in their family should start screening for this disease before turning 45 years old.
Stone, a mom of three and known for her acting roles in “Casino” and “Basic Instinct,” spoke at the Courage Award during the Women's Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) this week.
Read More“But I went to the hospital, saying, ‘If you open me up and it's cancer, please take both my breasts,’ because I am not a person defined by my breasts,” she admitted, adding a joke: “You know, that might seem funny coming from me since you've all seen 'em.”
She took the moment to urge other women not to put off getting what can be life-saving screenings.
“Don't ever feel compelled not to get a mammogram, not to get a blood test, not to get surgery because it doesn't matter,” Stone urged all who were sitting in the audience. “I'm standing here telling you I had one-and-a-half and more tissue of my breasts removed and none of you knew it.”
According to People, Stone first mentioned having benign tumors removed from her body in 2001 in her memoir “The Beauty of Living Twice,” which was released on March 30, 2021, describing the tumors as “bigger” than her breast.
She revealed the plastic surgeon who did her reconstructive breast surgery had given her larger breast implants without her “knowledge or consent.”
Sharon Stone on health scare when she was told she had breast cancer. “I went to the hospital saying, ‘If you open me up and it’s cancer, please take both my breasts’ because I am not a person defined by my breasts. That might seem funny coming from me since you’ve all seen ‘em.” pic.twitter.com/YTr17fB8jD
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) March 17, 2023
“When I was unbandaged, I discovered that I had a full cup-size bigger breasts, ones that he said ‘go better with your hip size,'” Stone explained.
Stone also told People she had additional surgery to remove tissue from her breast.
As the actress prepared to get off stage, she acknowledge all the brave women out there who are either battling or had fought the disease.
Mammograms Are Still the Best Tool for Detecting Breast Cancer
“We’ve been there. We’ve done that, and we’ve walked away without our breasts,” she added. “Some of us have walked away without our friends, our moms, our sisters, our daughters, our wives. I can tell you, my kids’ godparents died from [the] BRCA gene. I’ve lost a lot of friends to this. I don’t want to lose anymore.”
Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time Stone spread awareness in relation to her health. Last year, she revealed she needed a "large fibroid tumor" removed after suffering from “another misdiagnosis and incorrect procedure.”
At the time, she warned in a social media post, “Ladies in particular: Don't get blown off *GET A SECOND OPINION* It can save your life.”
Getting a Mammogram to Screen for Breast Cancer
Women between the ages of 45 to 54 should have mammograms, low-dose x-rays that screen for breast cancer, annually. Anyone with a history of breast cancer in their family should start screening for this disease before turning 45 years old.
RELATED: When You're Getting a Mammogram, Ask About Dense Breasts
Dr. Connie Lehman, the chief of the Breast Imaging Division at Massachusetts General Hospital, stresses in an earlier interview in SurvivorNet how mammograms are life-saving. "If you haven't gone through menopause yet, I think it's very important that you have a mammogram every year,” she advises. “We know that cancers grow more rapidly in our younger patients, and having that annual mammogram can be lifesaving."
When Should I Get a Mammogram?
"After menopause, it may be perfectly acceptable to reduce that frequency to every two years," says Dr. Lehman. "But what I'm most concerned about is the women who haven't been in for a mammogram for two, three, or four years, those women that have never had a mammogram. We all agree regular screening mammography saves lives."
Mammograms Explained
Mammograms are used to detect cancer in breast tissue, according to the American Cancer Society. The procedure is conducted with two plates that flatten the breast, spreading breast tissue apart.
Following the procedure, a radiologist reviews the mammogram and looks for breast changes such as little white spots called calcifications, and any unusual masses in the breast that may reveal cancer is present.
Survivors Encourage Women to Ask Their Doctors About Dense Breasts
Doctors, who decipher mammograms through a breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS), usually call their patients after a mammogram is done to talk about the results, something that is common and shouldn’t spark concern.
The following breast changes are normally found through mammograms:
- Calcifications (calcium deposits within breast tissue)
- Masses (a growth of tissue or lump that develops within the breast)
- Asymmetries (when one breast differs in size or shape from the other)
- Distortions (a distorted shape or pattern of breast tissue)
RELATED: 3D Mammography Detects 34% More Breast Cancers Than Traditional Mammography
Less than 1 in 10 women who receive a call back after their mammogram for more testing are shown to have cancer. Typically, additional testing is done only to get a deeper look at any areas of concern. Getting called back is most common following a first mammogram due to there being no prior mammograms to compare it to.
Breast Cancer Risks You Can’t Control
The top causes of breast cancer, that cannot be changed, are simply just being a woman and aging, according to the CDC. Women make up the majority of people diagnosed with breast cancer, especially if they are over the age of 50.
Additionally, women who first got their periods prior to the age of 12, or who began menopause after age 55, are at increased risk, due to their bodies having been exposed to hormones over a longer period of time. Women with dense breasts are also at an increased risk as these types of breasts make it difficult to see tumors on a mammogram. Dense breasts also make it harder for women to feel lumps when doing a self-breast exam.
Other uncontrollable risk factors include genetic mutations to particular genes, like BRCA1 and BRCA2; which is an inherited trait. A history of breast cancermeaning a patient was previously diagnosed or has a family historyalso increases the risk.
Breast Cancer Risks You Can Control
Lack of physical activity increases the risk of breast cancer, along with carrying extra weight after menopause, according to the CDC.
"A healthy, more plant-based diet is proving to be the best form of diet to prevent most cancers," Dr. Cate previously told SurvivorNet. "A normal BMI reduces your risk of breast, endometrial, and colon cancers."
Studies have also shown that breast cancer risk increases with alcohol consumption. Dr. Cate explained, "We know that five or more drinks per week increase the risk of breast cancer by 1.5 times the baseline population. So you can reduce your intake to affect your risk.
If someone has been taking hormone replacement therapy for more than five years during menopause, their risk may also be raised. Some birth control pills can also raise this risk.
Getting to Know Your Breasts with Self-Exams
Additionally, women who become pregnant after age 30, don't breastfeed, or have never carried a pregnancy to full-term are at a higher risk. "Women that have children before the age of 30 have a lower risk of breast cancer," Dr. Cate explains. "But having children any time decreases the risk of breast cancer."
Smoking and chemical exposure has also been shown to increase risk, the CDC notes.
Know the Signs of Breast Cancer
It's always smart to stay on top of any changes to your health and react appropriately. Possible signs and symptoms of breast cancer can include:
- A breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue
- Change in the size, shape or appearance of a breast
- Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
- A newly inverted nipple
- Peeling, scaling, crusting or flaking of the pigmented area of skin surrounding the nipple (areola) or breast skin
- Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange
Make sure to speak with a doctor right away if anything ever feels off or if you have noticed one or more of the signs listed above. It’s important not to worry, but instead, be proactive and take the proper precautions.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
