Breast cancer is today one of the severe diseases and might serve as a cause of death for women of different ages. One of the risk factors associated with the given issue is the inability to discover the illness at its initial stages. The breast self-examination practice (BSE) is nowadays considered an insufficient measure because it does not provide a complete image of the problem and gives a false feeling of security (McConnell, 2013; Milosevic, Jankovic, Milenkovic, & Stojanov, 2018). For this reason, even females with a high level of health literacy and awareness of breast cancer, such as Anne H., might still belong to the group risk and discover the issue at its late stages.
Anne H. was a pediatrician, which means that she was informed about breast cancer, and she performs BSE regularly. It helps her to discover the tumor and address the gynecologist, who insisted on the mammogram, consultation with a breast surgeon, and needle biopsy (McConnell, 2013). However, after the successful treatment of the discovered carcinoma by chemo and radiotherapy, the patient died five years after the diagnosis because of liver and brain metastases. The case evidences the need for reconsideration of recommendations related to breast cancer as only women after 40 are recommended to begin mammography if no risk factors exist (Milosevic et al., 2018).
For Anne H., the absence of the negative family history provided her with a false feeling of safety and prevented her from asking for mammography. In such a way, it is possible to conclude that breast cancer remains a serious health concern even for young women with a high level of awareness as there are some genetic factors that might impact the appearance of the tumor. The reconsideration of recommendations for the beginning of mammography might help to improve the state of the problem.
Reference List
McConnell, T. (2013). The nature of disease: Pathology for the health professions (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: LWW.
Milosevic, M., Jankovic, D., Milenkovic, A., & Stojanov, D., (2018). Early diagnosis and detection of breast cancer. Technology and Health Care, 26(4), 729-759. Web.