Don't ignore that lump

When the doctor advised her to get a mammogram done, Chen Ying's first reaction was one of despair. "The thought that my worst fears could come true sent a chill down my spine," recalls Chen, a manager of an aircraft factory in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province.

The mammogram revealed the 46-year-old mother of an 18-year-old girl had late stage cancer in her left breast. The oncologist was clear: Remove the breast or face death.

Chen agreed to the mastectomy and chemotherapy in 2008.