Community Connection: Covenant Health | 4
Lorena Gonzalez, MD, knows breast cancer from two distinct
perspectives—as a skilled breast surgeon and as a survivor herself.
At age 37, Dr. Gonzalez was diagnosed with stage IIB triple-negative
breast cancer. "I went through chemotherapy, surgery and then
radiation," she explains. "Because I tested positive for a genetic
mutation, I elected to have bilateral mastectomies."
That, in turn, brought about a career redirection. Dr. Gonzalez left
her practice as a vascular surgeon and retrained to become a breast
surgeon.
Here are five critical breast cancer facts from Dr. Gonzalez:
1: There are breast-cancer risk factors you control
"Regular exercise and eating a healthy diet are known to reduce both
risk of getting breast cancer and of its recurring," says Dr. Gonzalez.
"And, of course, practicing abstinence from smoking and moderate alcohol intake."
She also cautions against the extended use of hormone replacement therapy in
menopause, especially estrogen-progesterone combination therapy.
2: There are risk factors you don't control.
Starting menstruation before age 12 and entering menopause after age 50 add risk
as well. Never having given birth also increases your chances of developing breast
cancer, Dr. Gonzalez notes. And it's all for the same hormonal reason: your breast
tissue's lifetime exposure to your body's naturally produced estrogen.
3: Screenings are really important.
"We have mammography now that's so good at early detection that you can
potentially catch breast cancer early enough that you can de-escalate treatment,"
says Dr. Gonzalez.
Early detection works only if you go for regular annual screenings starting at age
40, she says.
