Health · Healthcare & Policy · 6 hrs ago
Utah Nurse’s Breast Cancer Was Found After She Pushed for More Tests
In southern Utah, oncology nurse Marci Bothwell noticed a dimple and a hard area in her left breast in October 2023, when she was 33.
Her first scans did not clearly show a problem, and her doctor suggested the lump could be benign fibrocystic breast tissue.
Bothwell was told she could return for routine screening at 40, but two months later the area became more dimpled and her nipple turned inward.
She went back and pushed for more testing, then noticed a new lump in her armpit while waiting for an MRI.
The MRI found an 8-centimeter breast tumor and lymph nodes that looked suspicious for cancer.
The biopsy results identified pleomorphic invasive lobular carcinoma, a type of breast cancer.
Her experience shows why new or changing symptoms need follow-up, even when initial scans are inconclusive; no further next steps are given here.
Marci Bothwell, a 33-year-old nurse in southern Utah, was diagnosed with breast cancer after pushing for more tests.
An ultrasound and mammogram did not show a clear cause for a large area of hardness in her left breast.
Two months later, she noticed more dimpling and an inverted nipple, and asked her doctor for further testing.
An MRI found an 8-centimeter breast tumor and lymph nodes suspicious for cancer.
- Who
- Marci Bothwell, a 33-year-old oncology nurse and mother of three.
- What
- She was diagnosed with breast cancer after seeking further tests following inconclusive imaging.
- When
- She found a breast change in October 2023 and noticed further changes in late December 2023.
- Where
- Bothwell lives in southern Utah. The nearest hospital with an MRI machine was four hours away.
- Why
- She sought more tests because the breast changes continued and she did not feel comfortable waiting.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Bothwell noticed a dimple on her nipple and a large area of hardness in her left breast.
An ultrasound and mammogram did not show a clear cause, and she was told to return for routine screening at age 40.
Bothwell noticed more dimpling and an inverted nipple, then asked her doctor for more scans and testing.
The scan showed an 8-centimeter tumor and lymph nodes suspicious for cancer, and Bothwell was asked to return for biopsies.
- Age
- 33
- Location
- Southern Utah
- First imaging
- Ultrasound and mammogram
- MRI tumor size
- 8 centimeters
- Time between first discovery and new changes
- Two months
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What people are saying
I don’t feel good about waiting.
I remember feeling like I was crazy because there was a large lump there.
The breast MRI revealed that I had an 8 centimeter tumor in my breast, as well as lymph nodes that were suspicious for cancer in my armpit, next to my sternum and under my collarbone