Teresa Heinz Has Breast Cancer

Teresa Heinz, wife of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, has announced that, in late September, doctors discovered cancer in her left breast following a routine mammogram. In early October, she had lumpectomies on both breasts after doctors discovered what looked like a benign growth, but turned out to be cancer, in her right breast. Next month, she will receive five days of targeted chemotherapy that could raise her survival odds to 99 percent. The 71-year-old Heinz said she felt "upset" at the recent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation that women begin receiving mammograms at age 50 instead of age 40. She argued that the cost of mammography is far less than the physical and personal toll of chemotherapy, noting that women ages 40 to 60 must undergo aggressive chemo if their cancer is not detected early.