Dense Breast Tissue and Breast Cancer: Empowering Women with Knowledge Because Mammograms Aren't Always Enough with Margie Singleton and Liane Willard

Marked Medicine

Dense breast tissue and breast cancer risk, is a yearly mammogram enough?

Margie Singleton was not informed that her dense breast tissue could not be adequately screened for breast cancer with a routine mammogram. After receiving a "normal" mammogram result, she found a breast lump. Thankfully her doctor ordered an ultrasound, but she was unfortunately diagnosed with breast cancer. She is now a breast cancer survivor, but she didn’t stop with beating cancer! She worked tirelessly to have a law passed that requires a woman’s breast density to be reported on mammogram reports, and for her to be informed of the density and made aware that a mammogram alone may not be sufficient for detecting breast cancer within dense breasts. But did Margie stop there? Of course not! She is the founder of Margie’s Army Foundation where she has made it her passion to educate women about dense breast tissue and breast cancer risk. Her foundation also helps financially support women who are battling breast cancer. She joins us in this episode to share her journey in the hopes of saving lives!

Guess what? You still haven’t heard the best part of this story. Because of Margie’s passion for ensuring that this never happens to another woman, she saved her friend Liane's life. Liane Willard also joins us in this episode to tell us how Margie's work both during and after her battle with breast cancer saved her life, as well as provide information for the importance of advocating for yourself and your health!

Important info: This was our first virtual interview, and we are so blessed that these ladies were willing to join us so that all of you can be empowered with this life-saving information! However, the connection was a little fuzzy in some places. But we are begging you not to let that stop you from listening to the information that these two incredible women are working so hard to share. We truly believe that this information could save your life!

In this episode, you will learn:

• The number of breast cancers that are not diagnosed in women with dense breast tissue when their only imaging study is a mammogram

• How Margie is saving lives with Margie's Army Foundation

• How to determine if you have dense breasts

• The significance of dense breast tissue and breast cancer risk

• The importance of Breast Self-Exams

• There is still more work to do in getting insurance laws changed!

For healthcare providers:

• The importance of informing women of their breast density

• The significance of breast density, and how to determine if a mammogram is sufficient for your patient

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT BREAST CANCER SCREENING GUIDELINES FOR WOMEN WITH DENSE BREAST TISSUE

• Margie's Law
• Breast Density Matters
• FDA National Reporting Standard

OTHER HELPFUL INFORMATION ABOUT DENSE BREAST TISSUE

• Dense Breast Tissue: What it Means to Have Dense Breasts by Mayo Clinic
• Information from the National Cancer Institute

YOU CAN DONATE TO Margie's Army Foundation HERE!

You can find Margie's Army Foundation on Facebook HERE!

If you have not already listened to the previous episode of the Marked Medicine podcast about breast cancer awareness, you can listen here Why Should I Get A Mammogram? A Breast Cancer Survivor Shares the Importance of Early Detection, Intervention, and A Strong Support System with Patti Elliott and Lou Hennesy

TO LEARN MORE INFORMATION ON HOW AND WHEN TO PERFORM A BREAST SELF-EXAM, CLICK HERE!

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