28?
In residency training (1992) I had a patient, a 27 year old woman, ask me to order a mammogram for her because she found a lump. I presented the case to the chief surgical resident who blew off her concerns, telling me “27 year olds don’t get breast cancer.” Her concern/anxiety and my gut had me order the test anyway.
My residency director told me this was a good call as, besides screening, diagnosing or using for evaluating effects of treatment, tests could be used to assuage/lessen patient fears and be reassuring. But I was Family Practice, not Surgery.
Diagnosis? Ductal Carcinoma.
She went on to have a mastectomy, chemo and the resident who told me NOT to order the test published a case report on the case - conveniently leaving MY name off the paper.
I’m sure time wounds all heels. I live secure in the knowledge I did the right thing. The patient lived. That’s what really mattered.
Thank you for saving her life. Many women as young as 22 are afflicted with this disease. There was a woman at the chemo center who was 28 with stage 4. She first was diagnosed at age 22 and had treatment then. The cancer came back. She is not the only young woman I heard about who was diagnosed at college age.