A New Jersey woman was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer after mistaking her symptoms for breastfeeding problems.
Lauren da Silva, 39, was pumping breast milk for her young son, Lucas, when she noticed a lump in her right breast in April 2021.
Mrs da Silva had it blocked due to a blocked milk duct, when breast milk cannot flow properly to the nipple, which was common for her.
However, when she couldn’t unclog the duct by breastfeeding or pumping, she sought medical attention. His doctor believed the lump was just a sign of tissue changes from breastfeeding, and an ultrasound showed everything was clear.
But about two months later, “my right breast just exploded,” Ms. da Silva said. Women’s health.
Lauren da Silva, 39, had just found out she was pregnant with her second child, Ryan (pictured), when she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
Mrs da Silva underwent 12 rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, had both ovaries removed and five rounds of radiation.
Her breast had grown to about twice the size of the left one and began to cause pain. Around the same time, she discovered that she was pregnant with her second child.
“I was terrified,” said Mrs. da Silva, a nurse. “Not only was she pregnant, but she also had a young son.”
“Deep down I knew I had signs of breast cancer.”
Ms da Silva was diagnosed with stage three HER2-positive breast cancer, which she called “the worst news of my life”. She was 22 weeks pregnant with another child.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in both the US and the world.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates there will be more than 300,000 new cases this year, along with 43,700 deaths.
Overall, the chance of a woman developing breast cancer is 13 percent, meaning that one in eight women will be diagnosed with this condition.
Death rates have plummeted 43 percent between 1989 and 2020, after successful public health awareness campaigns, better screening and new medications.
And nine out of 10 patients are expected to survive after five years.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Symptoms include a lump in the breast or armpit, thickening or swelling of the breast, breast irritation, redness or peeling around the breast, discharge from the nipple like blood, change in the size or shape of the breast, and pain in the breasts. breasts.
HER2 is a protein that causes breast cancer cells to grow rapidly, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). In HER2-positive breast cancer, the patient has higher than normal levels of HER2.
The ACS estimates that 15 to 20 percent of breast tumors are HER2 positive.
These cancers tend to spread faster than HER2-negative cancers, although they can be treated with drugs that specifically target the HER2 protein.
Cancer is highly treatable if it has not spread. According to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, localized HER2-positive breast cancer (that has not spread from its primary site) has a 100 percent survival rate.
Those with regional cases, meaning the cancer has spread to nearby sites, have a 90 percent survival rate.
However, this probability decreases significantly in the case of distant cancer, with a five-year survival rate of 32 percent.
Hormone-positive breast cancer means that these are hormone receptors on the breast cancer cells, which means that hormones like estrogen and progesterone could cause them to grow.
Mrs da Silva went through four rounds of chemotherapy before going into labor at 33 weeks. Despite cancer treatment and premature birth, her son, Ryan, came out “perfect.”
He completed a total of 12 rounds of chemotherapy, as well as several rounds of immunotherapy targeting the HER2 protein.
Mrs da Silva then underwent a double mastectomy, during which both breasts were removed, and several cancerous lymph nodes were removed.
Additionally, both ovaries were removed and she was prescribed hormone-blocking medications.
“At 39 I’m already in menopause, which sucks,” she said.
Mrs da Silva is now cancer free. Now the mother of two, whose own mother died of breast cancer when she was 40, advocates for women to pay attention to symptoms and seek medical attention if something seems wrong.
‘When I look back on my experience, I wish I had been more aggressive after that first ultrasound. There was something there,’ he said.
‘I just hope more women listen to their bodies when they hear a story like mine. Always check it.’