When Jill Collier was diagnosed with a condition that puts her at higher risk for breast cancer, she was grateful to have access to enhanced screening at Regional One Health.
As an experienced nursing leader, Collier understands how important it is to know your breast cancer risk and follow through on recommended screening.
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she is encouraging other women to talk to their provider about their risk and how to manage it.
As a nursing leader, Jill Collier is well-versed in the scientific and medical basis for breast cancer screening recommendations.
As a patient, she’s simply grateful for them.
Several years ago, Collier, Regional One Health Vice President for Perioperative Services, was diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), a condition that puts her at higher risk for breast cancer. Because she caught the condition early, she was able address it successfully with minimally invasive surgery and start an enhanced screening program.
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Collier is encouraging other women to learn about their own breast cancer risk and talk to their health care provider about their screening needs.
“Breast cancer is one of those things that can be preventable if you do your due diligence,” she said. “When cancer is preventable through screening and potentially having a minor surgery, that’s a whole lot easier than the alternative!”
Collier’s experience started when she noticed a lump while doing a self-breast exam. She had a diagnostic mammogram, which led to a breast ultrasound and LCIS diagnosis.
Jill Collier is both a patient and a nursing leader at Regional One Health. She urges women to be vigilant about breast cancer screening: “Breast cancer is one of those things that can be preventable if you do your due diligence,” she said.
LCIS is classified as a high risk lesion in which abnormal cells grow in the lining of the glands that produce breastmilk. The diagnosis increases a patient’s risk of developing breast cancer – women with LCIS are between 7 and 12 times more likely to be diagnosed.
Collier had a lumpectomy to remove the cells to verify the diagnosis and ensure no malignant cells were present. She now sees Regional One Health Cancer Care breast surgical oncologist Ashley Hendrix, MD, FACS for enhanced screening and surveillance.
“I go every six months for a mammogram and alternate that every six months with an MRI,” she said. “Most cancers take time to grow, so by screening every six months, I feel confident it would be caught before it got out of hand. Cancer gets out of hand when it’s ignored, not when people are active and diligent and doing the testing.”
Dr. Hendrix encourages all women to talk to their provider about their specific screening needs and to be aware of changes in their breasts.
While self-exams aren’t officially recommended because it’s hard to detect lumps when they’re still small, Dr. Hendrix said it’s important to be aware of changes in your breasts, whether it’s something you feel or something you see, like an inverted nipple or changes in the skin.
“We should empower everyone to be aware of their bodies,” she said. “I tell patients to be aware of their breasts, because they’re going to notice a change or a difference when it happens. Check your breasts consistently so you will see the change.”
For average risk women, she said, annual mammograms are the gold standard for early cancer detection.
These women should have a screening mammogram every year starting at age 40. “Getting your annual mammogram is so important. It can detect cancers that are still very small before they would be felt, and these cancers are often easier to treat,” she said.
Average-risk women should have a mammogram every year starting at age 40. Women who are at higher risk of breast cancer should talk to their provider about enhanced screening options, such as more frequent mammograms and breast MRI.
Doctors also use risk assessment models to determine if a patient is high-risk, Dr. Hendrix said, and those patients should have enhanced screening.
Any woman with symptoms, like a lump or skin changes, should talk to their doctor about whether they need a diagnostic mammogram, Dr. Hendrix said. These take more images of the breast, and in some cases breast ultrasound is used to see if areas of concern are benign cysts or suspicious lesions.
Finally, Dr. Hendrix said, some patients qualify for genetic testing based on family history and other risk factors. Patients who have a hereditary risk of breast cancer can consider medications or surgery to help prevent breast cancer.
Collier said her diagnosis led her to pursue genetic testing at Regional One Health’s High-Risk Breast Cancer Clinic, which is led by Dr. Hendrix.
As a mother of two girls, Collier said, it was important for her to know her hereditary risk and whether her daughters might be high-risk. Her test results came back negative for a genetic component, which allowed her to give herself and her family peace of mind.
Collier said she’s grateful for the opportunities Regional One Health provides to stay on top of her health. “I’m 48 years old. I’m a little too young to die from cancer!” she said. “It’s worth it to go through the tests and do what I have to do.”
She encourages other women to do the same. “Have your mammogram every year, and do your self-checks. If you feel something unusual or something changes, follow up with your physician. That’s the time to go – don’t think ‘I’ll wait and see,’” Collier said.