Breast cancer diagnosis: Early detection is key

  • Published
  • By Capt. Ashley Conner
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Joanne Capozzi hung up the phone, looked at her co-workers and said, "The news isn't good."

After two mammograms, a sonogram, an MRI, and a biopsy -- the results had come back. She had breast cancer.

"It was like an out of body experience," said Capozzi, wife of retired Col. Rocky Capozzi. "I always took good care of myself and never missed a mammogram."

The first signs of breast cancer were detected by Dr. Christopher Reed, 3rd Medical Group, officer in charge of Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

"It was a tiny spec on the film. Everyone in clinic was telling me what an amazing find he made," said Capozzi.

The cancer, which was less than a centimeter in diameter, was not easily seen on the first mammogram, which is why additional tests were completed before the biopsy was ordered.

"We were able to catch her cancer early because she comes in for annual mammograms - early detection is key," said Reed. "It is important for families that move around a lot to hand harry or have records sent to the gaining hospital for continuity."

Capozzi's diagnosis was aided by Elmendorf's new Breast MRI program.

"Mrs. Capozzi was the first patient who has gone through the program," said Reed. "Last spring the hospital spent over one million dollars upgrading existing MRI equipment; nearly one quarter of which specifically went to bringing Breast MRI to Elmendorf for the first time. Having the ability to offer these exams in-house helps us come to a diagnosis more quickly and more accurately."

Capozzi, who lost an older brother to cancer, appreciated the urgency in which her condition was handled.

"When we called the children to tell them I had cancer I was able to say, 'I have cancer and it will be gone on Tuesday'," said Capozzi.
Capozzi's only daughter, Kati and her husband were stationed in France when she got her mother's phone call.


"My mom sounded very confident that she was going to be able to overcome this, which helped me cope with it," said Kati Capozzi. "There were so many doctors involved in my mom's case but Dr. Reed was the first and is the reason why it was caught so early. My mom is my best friend and she could have been taken from me too early if she wasn't getting annual screenings."

Typically hospitals see an increase in breast cancer screenings around Breast Cancer Awareness month in October and throughout the holiday season said Reed.

"Being diagnosed with cancer is the worst case but having a low chance of reoccurrence because of early detection is the best case," said Capozzi. "If my story gets people into the hospital for annual checkups, it was worth it."

Capozzi expects to finish the last of her 33 radiation treatments on Veterans Day.