PHOENIX — At just 31 years old, Gourley had just gotten married when she noticed a lump during her typical self-exam.
Despite her younger age and no family history of cancer, the biopsy came back positive for breast cancer.
“All of them were like, ‘Wow that’s such a tiny lump, I’m so surprised you caught that,’” Gourley said.
She immediately started treatment at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, going through surgery, chemo and radiation.
At the time, Gourley wanted to look into IVF to give more family-planning options down the line. It was during that process that doctors also found a second shocking discovery, ovarian cancer.
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“I probably would not have caught it if it weren’t for the breast cancer because, again, ovarian cancer is called the silent killer because it’s not usually found,” Gourley said.
Gourley’s not alone. Breast Surgical Oncologist Brittany Murphy said while the majority of her patients are still of advanced age, the number of adults coming in under 40 has risen.
“That’s why we recommend that everyone at age 25 gets a breast cancer risk assessment,” Murphy said. “Because depending on your lifetime risk of breast cancer we recommend starting screening imaging earlier.”
Just last year, the US Preventative Services Task Force lowered their recommendations to start regular mammograms from 50 years old to 40.
“There is not an age that is too young to have something worked up because we really need to be aware of what is normal for us,” Murphy said.
Gourley couldn’t agree more. She hopes her story inspires young adults to take their cancer risk seriously and advocate for screenings, no matter how small the symptom may seem.
“Making sure that people stay on top of those and put the care into themselves that they put into their families as well,” Gourley said.
