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Dr. Neil B. Friedman, Director, The Hoffberger Breast Center at Mercy

Mercy's Dr. Neil B. Friedman Addresses Aggressive Breast Cancer In Women Under Age 40

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and even though the disease is something that is rarely on the radar screens for women under 40, they need to be aware of changes in their bodies, noted breast surgeon Dr. Neil B. Friedman, Director of The Hoffberger Breast Center at Mercy's Weinberg Center for Women's Health and Medicine.

Maria Logothetis was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2007 when she was 35 after finding a lump in her breast. She said she couldn't believe it.

"It was a shock. I remember driving in my car, and I wanted to scream but I had no voice," she said.

According to Dr. Friedman, it's natural that younger women are "blown away" by the diagnosis.

"The average age to get breast cancer is in the 50s. Women in their 30s are focused on careers and children, so breast cancer isn't on the radar screen for most of them," he said.

Logothetis opted for aggressive treatment and chose a bilateral mastectomy, reconstruction and chemotherapy. Dr. Friedman said the removal of both breasts is a personal decision.

"It dramatically lowers the risk of breast cancer in either breast because they're not there anymore, but they have to be followed like any other patient. They just don't need mammograms anymore," he said.

Logothetis took time to recover and is finding happiness again.

"If you're a younger woman with a breast lump and you have a mammogram and it's normal, you still need to be evaluated by a surgeon. Breast lumps aren't normal in younger women," she said.