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Battling breast cancer -- a reporter's perspective

CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty with her mother and fellow cancer survivor Ruth
CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty with her mother and fellow cancer survivor Ruth  

October 27, 2000
Web posted at: 4:26 p.m. EDT (2026 GMT)

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 182,000 new cases will be diagnosed this year. But early detection and a variety of treatment options are improving the outlook for many women.

CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty knows first hand about the illness -- she was recently diagnosed and is currently undergoing treatment. Here's her story in her own words.

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A year ago, cancer was the last thing on my mind. I was living and working in Moscow, running two to three miles a day. I ate right and didn't smoke or drink.

 VIDEO
CNN's Jill Dougherty shares the battle of a lifetime: her personal battle with breast cancer

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CNN's Jill Dougherty shares her story of her battle with breast cancer

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"I think one of the misconceptions is that it is fatal. If it's detected early, the five-year survival rate is 95%." -- Jill Dougherty
Jill talks further about her experiences with breast cancer

One day, while on vacation in Florida, I returned from a run and took a shower. I noticed what looked like a dimple in my breast. I remembered a phrase from the cancer pamphlets in my doctor's office. A "dimple in the breast" can be a sign of cancer.

But I was set to leave for Moscow in three days. I went to a doctor in Florida who advised me to wait and check it in a month or two. As the doctor who would later become my oncologist told me - that was mistake number one. "It's easy to agree with a doctor that says a lump is nothing because that's what you want to hear", explained Dr. Elisabeth McKeen, of the Helen and Harry Gray Cancer Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. "Especially for women who have breast cancer in their family, these women often have to fight with doctors to get a biopsy. But that's the most important thing cause early diagnosis is really the key right now for the best survival."

There was cancer in my family. My mother, Ruth, was diagnosed 25 years ago. Ironically, she was the same age I was when her doctor found a dimpling in her breast. Five years ago she had another bout with breast cancer. Yet even that fact doesn't necessarily mean that's why I got cancer. Three-fourths of women with breast cancer have no apparent family history of the disease.

So, following the first doctor's advice, I waited. I went right back to work in Moscow and told no one about it. Two months went by. I traveled to Ingushetia and to the border with Chechnya to report on refugees from the war. When I returned, I finally decided to go to a clinic in Moscow and have a mammogram. Just like all my previous yearly mammograms, however, it showed nothing out of the ordinary. But the doctor, to be on the safe side, did an ultrasound of the breast. On the screen I saw a black, oval shadow. It was a lump.

As I later learned, although they are a crucial tool in detecting breast cancer, mammograms are not infallible.

CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty's story in progress
CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty's story in progress  

My surgeon, Dr. Patrick Borgen, head of breast surgery at New York's Memorial/Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, later told me, "I think your story illustrates what we've known for a long time about mammograms -- that they can be wrong. In the best of hands, a mammogram will miss a cancer that is there about 10 percent of the time." I was part of that 10 percent. I caught a flight back to the United States for a biopsy.

In Jill's next report -- researching treatment options.



RELATED STORIES:
Life goes on, even with breast cancer
May 26, 2000
Growing evidence indicates that exercise cuts chance of breast cancer
March 13, 2000
Bone marrow test may help determine odds of breast cancer relapse
February 23, 2000
Breast cancer detection: Upping your odds for survival
May 25, 1999

RELATED SITES:
American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Resource Center
CancerNet -- Breast Cancer
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Komen Race for the Cure

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