Nightmare: Virus-delayed exam and then cancer news
Mammographer says her situation proves women should diligently get tests
Like many women, Norma Lester-Atwood had to put off her annual mammogram because of the coronavirus pandemic. When she finally got the procedure, she was glad she didn’t have to delay much longer because she received news no one wants to hear: “You’ve got cancer.”
More than most, Lester-Atwood understands the importance of regular breast screenings. She is a mammographer at the Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center at Sutter Health’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland. In some ways, her professional expertise kept her from panicking after she learned in early May that she had ductal carcinoma in situ, a form of early breast cancer
“I was thinking, ‘Here we go,’ ” said the Pittsburg resident. “I’ve seen what cancer looks like, and the different types there are. It goes step by step. Actually, I wasn’t too scared until the day of the surgery.”
Lester-Atwood, 63, understands the reasons for the delay and is sharing her story as a reminder to women to get in for their mammograms as soon as possible. Her reminder extends to anyone who needs routine screenings for other types of cancer, including cervical, colon and lung cancers.
Bill Isenberg, chief quality and safety officer for Sutter Health, said people should try to schedule their tests in the next couple of months
“A surge in coronavirus spread and infected patients could occur this fall or winter,” said Isenberg, the former chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. “If this happens and overlaps with the normal flu season, there could be a significant strain on health care services.”
Lester-Atwood, who has worked at the Carol Ann Read
center since 2018, had her mammogram scheduled for March 26.
“I’ve always told my patients that it’s important to come in every year for a mammogram because I’ve seen patients who developed fast-growing tumors between screenings,” she said.
But three days before her appointment, Lester-Atwood was sent home from work. County public health departments ordered hospitals around the Bay Area to cancel elective procedures and routine tests and appointments to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and to free up resources for a possible surge of COVID-19 patients.
The Susan G. Komen breast cancer nonprofit said women of average risk of breast cancer shouldn’t worry about postponing their mammograms for a short period of time.
Isenberg said about 4,000 to 5,000 Sutter Health patients postponed their mammograms because of the pandemic. But he said that could mean that 20 to 25 patients have undiagnosed cancer cases, based on the fact that 1 in 200 mammograms performed at Sutter Health facilities show suspected cases of breast cancer that need further attention.
Lester-Atwood learned she was one of those women with an undiagnosed case. After her May 4 mammogram came back suspicious, she underwent an ultrasound and then a biopsy, which showed she had a 2-millimeter tumor.
Her doctor said the cancer was likely Stage 0, which meant it was noninvasive.
“If I were to get a cancer, this is the one to get because it’s the least malignant of them all,” Lester-Atwood said.
Still, her doctors wouldn’t know for sure until her surgery. They recommended a lumpectomy, which was performed June 10 and usually involves removing the tumor and the surrounding part of the breast.
In her job, Lester-Atwood performs procedures using the mammogram machine to prep patients on the day of their surgeries, including lumpectomies.
“I’ve seen patients be very scared,” she said. “I’ll hold their hands, rub their shoulders. It’s very nerve-wracking.”
Finding herself in the same situation, Lester-Atwood couldn’t maintain professional detachment. She admits she was scared, including about whether the surgery would leave scars. “There’s always a risk of anesthesiology, of course, but what’s my breast going to look like when I wake up?”
Fortunately, the surgery went well, leaving LesterAtwood with a small, 1-inch scar. Best of all, a pathologist confirmed that surgeons had been able to remove all the cancer.
No radiation or chemotherapy would be needed, she said, just a daily dose of Anastrozole, a common breast cancer treatment similar to Tamoxifen, for five years. Lester-Atwood has since returned to work, and she wants women to get in for their tests.
“Because of my personal experience, I’ve seen the other side of the coin, and I have even more reason to encourage patients to get their regularly scheduled mammograms,” she said.