WASHINGTON — Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., revealed Thursday that she was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and has received successful treatment for it.
In February, doctors at the Mayo Clinic discovered small white spots called calcifications during a routine mammogram, and a biopsy determined she had "stage 1A breast cancer,” the senator wrote in a post on Medium.
Klobuchar, 61, said she "had a lumpectomy on the right breast which involved the removal of the cancer.” After a course of radiation treatment in May and additional visits, doctors determined last month that "the treatment went well,” she said.
“Of course this has been scary at times, since cancer is the word all of us fear, but at this point my doctors believe that my chances of developing cancer again are no greater than the average person,” Klobuchar said.
The senator said that like many others, she had delayed routine examinations because of the pandemic.
“Studies have found that thousands of people who missed their mammogram due to the pandemic may be living with undetected breast cancer,” she said, adding that she hopes her situation “is a reminder for everyone of the value of routine health checkups, exams, and follow-through.”
Health officials recommend mammograms every two years for women between the ages of 50 and 74. Those between the ages of 40 and 49 should discuss when and how frequently to get the exams, they say.
