After breast cancer diagnosis at 34, Caitlin Patton is an advocate

Screening mammograms are recommended for women starting at age 40. But that doesn't mean cancer waits till then to strike.

Caitlin Patton, now 36, found a lump in her breast after work one day. Then 34, she was 20 months postpartum at the time and initially assumed it had something to do with changes from breastfeeding. But even though she figured it was probably nothing, she decided to get it checked out.

"Something just didn't sit quite right about it," she said.

Patton found the lump Jan. 29, 2024, then had a mammogram and breast ultrasound Feb. 8. There was a lot of urgency from her medical professionals at TidalHealth.

After getting her mammogram and breast ultrasound, someone from the office called and told her to come back to meet with Nicholas Dudas, MD, FACS. Patton met him that day, and then he decided not to take the next day off, as he'd planned, so that he could perform a biopsy on her.

From this, Patton realized just how sick the medical professionals thought she was, as well as Dr. Dudas' dedication.

"Wow, this is a doctor who really cares about his patients if he's coming in on his day off for a patient that he literally just met 10 minutes ago," Patton recalls thinking.

She was diagnosed with triple-positive breast cancer, and as a younger woman, she had additional considerations - for example, she and her husband had a toddler to take care of, and she needed to get her hormonal IUD taken out because it was feeding her cancer. She also had to take a leave of absence from her job as a middle school teacher.

For women diagnosed at a younger age, the cancer also could have had more time to grow - because the woman is able to feel the lump herself rather than a growth being caught on a mammogram before it can even be felt.

Patton lives in Seaford, and aside from one surgery class, she never had to drive more than five minutes for her treatment. Her surgery was at TidalHealth Nanticoke and her chemotherapy and radiation were at the TidalHealth Allen Cancer Center.

Going through chemotherapy is not an easy process. Patton shared that chemotherapy patients have "their day," which she learned was normally between days three and five after a chemo treatment. It turned out her day was day three, and she had a terrible experience on her first day three with feeling like something was deeply wrong and vomiting. Once she knew what her day would be, she was able to stave off these awful side effects with medicines she'd been prescribed.

The impacts of chemotherapy are cumulative, and by the end, Patton said she didn't have the energy to hold up a book to read or lift a remote.

After six rounds of chemotherapy, Patton had a lumpectomy July 11 with 21 rounds of radiation following that. She's learned a lot about her condition along the way. She likes being able to feel in control of something when so much is out of control.

"I think being an expert in my own care certainly helped me a lot in the journey," Patton said.

Patton encourages women, especially those who haven't yet reached the recommended age for screening mammograms, to do monthly breast exams and also keep up with their annual gynecology appointments. She also encourages people to advocate for themselves when it comes to their health.

Patton is a big advocate for breast cancer awareness and screenings and is happy to spread the word during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. However, a diagnosis can happen in any month.

"People really need to remember that breast cancer does not just happen in October," she said.

• Medical Oncology & Hematology
• Gynecologic Oncology
• Breast Surgery
• Cancer Care
• Pediatric Hematology & Oncology
• Radiation Oncology
• Thoracic Oncology

• Lymphedema
• Breast cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Leukemia and lymphoma
• Lung cancer
• Ovarian and uterine cancers
• Pancreatic cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Prostate health (BPH, prostate cancer)