Stage 4 Breast Cancer in a 28 year old

My second patient of this New Year was a young lady of 28 with breast cancer that has already spread to her lymph nodes. A lump was found by her husband who advised her to get it checked out, for someone so young with a 3 year old son, she seemed incredibly calm. Waiting until the end of the Holidays she and her husband showed up first thing on Monday morning. I thought back to my last blog of 2010 and thought even with the mammogram schedule I follow, she would have been dead long before she 'qualified' for a mammogram. This case shows that self breast exam is still critical, yet the preventive Task Force advises against teaching our patients to do them. I cannot fathom the basis for that recommendation.
When young people get cancer it is somehow even more scary.
At the Anti-Aging conference I went to in December there was a talk given by the surgeon who has done the most robotic surgeries on the prostate in the world. He told us of his frustration with the new recommendations not to do Prostate cancer screening through the blood with the PSA test. He said the youngest case of Prostate cancer he had ever seen was in a 31 year old male whose Primary Care Physician had accidentally checked off a PSA test on his routine lab work. His Insurance company said they would not pay for the test because he shouldn't have had it at his age. "Even though it showed I have Prostate cancer he asked?"
What is the world coming to? Are people getting cancers earlier or are we just picking them up sooner? Not sure but PLEASE pay attention to your health and if anything doesn't feel right, get it checked out, no matter what narrow minded people( even Doctors) may say. Did I mention I'm running for 'Most Popular Doctor this year??

Best Wishes,
Be Well and Be Safe

Dr. Tuakli