The patients have swollen lymph nodes, which is a rare sign of breast cancer.
“Seeing that makes us happy and worried,” said Dr. Lars Grimm of Duke Health.
Doctors are now learning that this is caused by women who have recently received the COVID-19 vaccine.
Lymph nodes will be swollen on the side of the body where the person received the injection.
How do we know if the COVID-19 vaccines are safe?
“That’s a good thing, because that means the vaccine is working. Your body is responding. You have that immune response,” Grimm said.
The side effect, however, is those lumps will show a mammogram and misread for breast cancer.
Grimm says women just need to plan something.
Cancer patients ‘frustrated’ as revised state priorities kick them further on COVID-19 vaccine waiting list
Have the mammogram screen performed before the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or four to six weeks after the second injection.
Grimm says the recommended timeframe is the same whether you get the Moderna or Pzifer vaccine.
The last thing doctors want is for women to cancel their mammograms all at once, which often happened in 2020.
“We are concerned that women will skip two years and we know that if we screen regularly, we will get breast cancer at the earliest possible stage. Unfortunately, breast cancer is so common, it’s very important that women stay on top of this. it doesn’t slip away, ”said Grimm.
Tips for dealing with the potential side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine
The American Cancer Society suggests that women ages 45 to 54 get the screening annually. Women aged 55 and over, in good health, can switch every other year.
Copyright © 2021 KABC-TV. All rights reserved.