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I spent my career as a hunter.
A shadow chaser.
As a radiologist, one of my tasks was to find cancer when it was early and/or small.
The chance of cure was increased when this was the case, regardless the organ involved.
Despite advances in cancer treatment, there are still 3 main weapons used in treating cancer: surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
Surgery can be curative (as defined by 100% 5 year survival rate) and perhaps, in general, the best treatment.
One day Anna (I do not use her real name; you understand why), who had always taken good care of her health, went for her annual mammogram.
It was not something she looked forward to.
She disliked having her breast pancaked.
She had heard of the Yankee baseball player Mickey Mantle (1931–1995), who once said: “If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”
She determined not to be like him.
The mammogram showed a small asymmetric abnormality.
It was indeterminate but definite.
An MRI scan of the breast was recommended.
