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People's stories

Age 50-59

Interview 33

Interview 33

Age at Interview: 52
Background: A teacher, single with no children.

Brief outline:Had first routine mammogram at age 51. Calcifications found which were benign. Three months later DCIS was discovered. Had a second operation, and breast cancer was discovered. Had a third operation, radiotherapy and tamoxifen.

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She was recalled and tests suggested she had DCIS. When the affected area was removed though, the pathology report was benign.
Print So I went out and waited and then they called me back again into the room. No, first of all they called me to a Doctor and the Doctor sat me down and she showed me X-rays and she referred to these little white specks on my x-ray. Now all I could see were white pin pricks on the breast, she said "These denote changes" and, after my questions, she said "until proven otherwise they could be cancer." But she said they only denote changes and it is calcifications of the breast. And she said "I'm going to send you out again to get a needle and then a biopsy and you should be getting your results today of your needle". And then I went on Friday and I got the second biopsy and that's when she said DCIS definitely, that second one. She did definitely say it when I got the second biopsy results. Yes. And then she gave me the operation date. And in the operation they would be taking out the DCIS? Yes, that's what they were taking out and then they were going to send it to the Pathologist who would tell me if it was cancerous or whatever. So they sent it off to the Pathologist and then they told you that was all benign? Yes, they told me it was benign. That was the word they used 'benign' and I thought "Oh great". And the Doctor seemed very happy and we seemed very happy and she said "I won't see you until three months", so I was delighted.

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