Australian women denied knowledge of their increased breast cancer risk

For many years I've had non-BreastScreen mammograms routinely every second year because I've had a history of breast cysts and so I've always wanted to have an ultrasound as well as the mammogram. Whilst I knew I had dense breasts which can make radiography reporting difficult I did not realise until after my diagnosis that having dense breasts in itself is a risk. No one (doctors) had ever advised me this be the case.

So after 5 years of being told everything was ok and I only have "fibrocystic disease", including my last mammogram and US only 2 months prior to my noticing an abnormality of my breast, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer (>5cm and positive nodes)! I admit my cancer presented in a lobular pattern which also made it hard to see on the mammogram and US imaging but my MRI sure lit up like a Christmas tree.

I know doing MRIs is much debated and not routinely offered but I could have got diagnosed years ago at a much earlier stage if this had been recommended because of my dense breasts. Hopefully the future of contrast mammography will be a good alternative. There has to be better ways of monitoring and diagnosing as I was not diagnosed on either the mammogram or the ultrasound.

For me it is annoying that no one had ever discussed my breast cancer risk because of my having dense breasts itself or recommended that I could attend a breast clinic for better monitoring beyond the routine testing I had routinely done in good faith.