Amy Peters was clearing paperwork from her dresser in 2017 when she discovered her year-old prescription for a mammogram. Although she doesn’t have a family history of breast cancer, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer not long after she found the prescription
Peters, 60, of Glen Cove, dealt with lumps in her breasts for most of her life, and had benign tumors removed from her right breast in the past. She had annual mammograms, but due to family issues and other health concerns, she had gone three years without an examination.
Since her surgeries in 2017 and 2018, Peters routinely goes in for bloodwork every six months to make sure there are no markers indicating the cancer’s return. She is a strong advocate of yearly testing.
“You better go get your mammograms,” Peters said. “Because this is what happened to me.”
Dr. Susan Palleschi, Director of breast surgery at Glen Cove Hospital, cautions that women sometimes mistakenly think that if they don’t have a family history of breast cancer, they are not at risk for being diagnosed with it.
“Women with a strong family history will have an increased risk for breast cancer, but a lack of family history is not protective, or does not negate the possibility of developing breast cancer,” Palleschi said.
To serve as a visible reminder that early detection is the best defense against breast cancer, thousands of pink tulip bulbs were planted throughout Glen Cove. The reminder comes from the combined efforts of the non-profit organization Glen Cove CARES, and the Beautification Commission. The project was created by Terry Petikas, founder of CARES, who enlisted the support of the Beautification Commission.
“Partners in Pink” has become an annual event since that time. Each fall, the bulbs are planted so that when the tulips bloom in the spring the community is reminded of those who have been affected by cancer.
“We give to people who need in ways that health insurance doesn’t help them,” said Dr. Eve Lupenko, member of Glen Cove CARES and the Beautification Commission.
On average CARES helps three to five people per year with funds up to $3,000 to offset medical costs, equipment requirements, mortgages, homecare needs, transportation to chemotherapy, and or food costs.
This past year with the pandemic still in place, the organization came to the aide of five people. CARES also donates $5,000 to $10,000 per year to the Cold Spring Harbor Cancer Research facility, which is committed to exploring the fundamental biology of human cancer.
“Lately we have been getting requests from a much younger age group,” said Lorri Prince, CARES president. “In the past two years we have supported five victims under 30, a terrible change.”
There are many different types of breast cancer defined by where in the breast they begin, how much they have grown or spread, and how they behave. Ultimately, breast cancer is placed into one of two categories: invasive or noninvasive. Invasive cancers spread into the surrounding breast tissue while noninvasive don’t spread beyond the breast tissue where they start.
Female breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer worldwide, passing lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Statistics from the advocacy group show one in eight women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Nassau County has a breast cancer rate 10 percent higher than the state as a whole. And it is estimated that 118,830 women will be newly diagnosed with cancer this year in New York.
Although breast cancer rates appear higher in Nassau County, Palleschi theorized that women having children at later ages and a family history of breast cancer for women on Long Island, as well as a higher incidence of a genetic predisposition, could be possible factors relating to the higher incidences on the island.
She cautioned that increased alcohol consumption and a higher body mass index are contributing factors.
“We might be just diagnosing cancer more commonly here on Long Island because women do go for their screening mammography,” she added.
Mammography is considered the most effective breast cancer screening tests used today, but Palleschi often sees women who are concerned that the radiation exposure may cause breast cancer.
“Although we do know and recognize that there is a small amount of radiation exposure with mammography, certainly the benefits of increased screening at an earlier stage does far outweigh any potential harm from radiation exposure,” she said.
Mammography has helped to reduce the risk of breast cancer mortality by nearly 40 percent.
