A mammogram and further testing revealed she had triple-negativebreast cancera more aggressive throw in.
She was 38 at the time and had no family history of the disease.
It was just very difficult to understand, to digest it, Landgrave tells SELF.
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It can send yourhealth anxiety into a full-on spiral, but just how concerned should youactuallybe?
Landgrave says she initially thought she might have a cyst, since her mother has a history of them.
But she wasnt taking any chances, either.
Heres exactly what doctors want you to know.
Certain cancers are creeping up more than others.
Other GI types, likestomachand pancreatic cancer, are showing increases.
Still, its a real, well-documented rise, says Dr. Schwer, who treats people with breast cancer.
And Ill tell you, being on the front line, its really dramatic.
Its every single day that Im seeing patients younger than 50.
So whats causing younger adults to get cancer?
Take, for example, early onset colorectal cancer, which started going up in the 90s.
What changed over that period?
Changes in average body size might factor in, Dr. Kupfer says.
Environmental factors could also be at play.
This includes antibiotic overuse, which can mess with the balance of healthy bacteria in our guts.
(Regular exercise is tied to lower risks of a bunch of cancers.)
But researchers are still trying to figure out if they really up a persons cancer risk.
As Dr. Kupfer puts it, theres probably some perfect storm of different factors driving the rise.
Eight body changes that can sometimes signal cancer.
Here are a few common cancer signs to look out for.
Ovarian and colorectal cancers can also cause bloating and/or belly pain.
Of course, digestive woes are incredibly common and probably arent cancer.
But if theyre hanging on for more than two weeks, its wise to call your doctor.
Most often, a fever signals an infection.
Docs didnt consider her high risk so she didnt qualify for any screening.
Stories like those of Vassallo and Landgrave show how real early onset cancer can be.
But theyre meant to raise awarenessnot to alarm, Dr. Schwer says.
Still, as Landgrave advises, you need totrust your gut.
For me, I knew that with cancer, the worst thing you could do is wait.
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