City of Hope Orange County thinks pink for breast cancer awareness
Ashly Grafton felt a lump in her breast at age 32.
She had just taken a well-woman exam a few weeks before which found nothing wrong. That, combined with her young age, could have led her to blow it off.
But Grafton, a clinical research nurse at City of Hope Orange County, went to get the lump checked out. Her concerns were eventually confirmed: she had triple-negative Stage 2 breast cancer.
“Question everything,” said Grafton, who lives in Sunset Beach. “I have friends all around my age, from about 30 to 40. They’re like, ‘I found something and I’m just going to wait a year.’ I’m like, ‘Why?’ Why not ask the questions? You can find out that it is nothing, or you can find out that it is something and catch it soon enough.”
Grafton is now five years cancer free, but she knows that breast cancer rates in women under 50 continue to increase.
On Wednesday, City of Hope Orange County held an event at the Lennar Foundation Cancer Center in Irvine, in recognition of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer workers “coated” other physicians with pink lab coats, providing a powerful reminder to get screened as part of the “Pink is Powerful” regional initiative.
City of Hope Orange County President Annette Walker encouraged those at the event to be proactive in scheduling their mammograms.
“A mammogram allows us to catch the disease early, when it is most treatable, most manageable and when there is the best chance of full recovery,” Walker said. “A mammogram isn’t just about getting a medical test. It’s about a declaration, it’s about a commitment to yourself, to your loved ones and to your future.”
An American Cancer Society study released this week found that breast cancer in women has risen 1% a year during the years 2012 to 2021. Women younger than 50 saw a steeper increase (1.4% a year) compared to women older than 50 (0.7% a year).
Still, breast cancer death rates for United States women dropped 44% from 1989 to 2022.
Asian American and Pacific Islander women have seen the fastest increase in breast cancer in both age groups, 2.5% for women under 50 and 2.7% for women older than 50. Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the Orange County Health Officer, falls into the first category.
Chinsio-Kwong said she was just 43 two years ago, when she was diagnosed during a routine screening. She had no symptoms but had Stage 0 DCIS, cancer in her ductal cells.
“You may not be as risk-free as you thought,” said Kwong, now cancer free. “It’s important to get your screening done. Men and women, if you have any breast symptoms — nipple discharge, breast pain, a lump, a rash on your chest or your breast — please get seen. Treatment is available.”
Dr. Jennifer Tseng, who leads the breast cancer surgery division at City of Hope Orange County, said the doctors have options like genomic testing and immunotherapy at their disposal. City of Hope also offers 3D mammography, which Tseng said is 40% better at detecting breast cancer than 2D mammography.
Many people present at Wednesday’s events seemed to have their own anecdotes. Don Wagner, chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, said his grandmother died at the age of 26 due to breast cancer, while his mother and wife were survivors.
Supervisor Katrina Foley is known for wearing pink suits anyway, so she was happy to do so for a good cause.
Foley said she’s had a friend die of breast cancer. Two other friends have survived, including Carol Crane, president of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Trustees.
“Today I was feeling guilty because I’m two months behind on my mammograms,” Foley said. “I’ve been so busy, but I was like, ‘OK, got to get it!’”
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