State Rep. Bridget Kosierowski revealed Tuesday morning that she recently received a breast cancer diagnosis, which was revealed during a routine screening.
LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — On Tuesday morning, State Representative Bridget Kosierowski announced on Facebook that she’d recently been diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I’m Bridget Kosierowski, I am your State Rep here in the 114th district, and I have some personal news I want to share with you. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.”
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Kosierowski says a routine screening led to doctors detecting her breast cancer early, “I really wanted to share this news with everybody because I wanted to remind everybody how important it is to be able to have access to that kind of care. Early detection in cancer means a better outcome.”
It’s a reminder some doctors echo, just how important and necessary regular screenings can be.
“Cancers are treatable when they’re found early,” said Erin McFadden, the Chief Medical Officer of the Wright Center.
“I’m very much a believer that screening does save lives,” said Meghan Haggerty, a radiation oncologist at Northeast Radiation Oncology Center.
McFadden says annual routine mammograms help doctors see if signs of breast cancer show over time.
“When we perform mammograms every single year, we have an opportunity, one to compare to last year’s mammogram, two, to catch those aberrant cells very early, remove them, treat the patient, and again it’s nothing but part of their past medical history.”
Haggerty says cancer treatment can sometimes be intensive if not caught early.
“Generally, a patient who presents with a lot of breast cancer, certainly if its spread is looking at more treatment, longer treatment, maybe lifelong treatment, and oftentimes but not always, but often times a worse prognosis.”
Doctors also recommend doing a self-examination once a month to check for any signs of cancer.
“Oftentimes it feels like a pea underneath the skin, a hard, fixed rock that doesn’t move anywhere; that is a concerning sign,” said McFadden. “Any swollen tissue, any changes in the texture of the skin, can also be a sign of cancer, and you should immediately seek medical attention.”
During her cancer treatment, Representative Kosierowski says her offices in Harrisburg and Lackawanna County will remain open.