Monmouth County Nurse Shares Breast Cancer Story, Urges Health Advocacy

MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ — Cardiac Nurse Megan Unver has always been vigilant when it comes to her breast health.

A long-time resident of Monmouth County and nurse at Hackensack Meridian Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Unver, 46, is no stranger to the process of annual mammograms and ultrasounds.

With a family history of breast cancer (including her two maternal aunts and her mother), Unver was considered high-risk and never missed her annual appointments, though her scans always came back clear, and genetic testing for the breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 turned up negative, she told Patch.

It wasn’t until late 2023 that everything changed, when Harriet Borofsky, the medical director of breast imaging at Hackensack Meridian Riverview Medical Center, looked beyond the standard scans, Unver said.

Citing her dense breasts, significant family history, and other factors, Borofsky recommended a breast MRI for Unver, an imaging modality that uses contrast to help find earlier, more aggressive tumors that may not be seen on a mammogram or ultrasound.

That MRI, performed in April 2024, went on to reveal a tiny, 1mm tumor hidden deep against Unver’s chest wall.

The tumor was a ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) with a 1mm microinvasion, medical center officials said, a cancer that most likely wouldn’t have been detected on a mammogram or self-breast exam.

The small invasive portion was determined to be triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of cancer where the tumor lacks estrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors and doesn’t respond favorably to hormonal therapies.

About 10-15% of all breast cancers are triple negative, according to the American Cancer Society.

“The way Dr. Borofsky described it [the tumor] was like ‘if you see a sky full of stars, they’re all bright, but there’s just one that’s a little brighter,’” Unver told Patch.

After going for a biopsy in late April and getting her results in May, Unver said she was given a couple of different treatment options, but given her family history of breast cancer, she decided to get a double mastectomy (a surgery where both breasts are removed) to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Following that procedure, Unver went for breast reconstruction, then began the process of having her nipples tattooed back on.

Today, Unver said she just went for her yearly checkup with plastic surgery and is in good health, though she told Patch that having cancer is an experience that sticks with you long after going through treatment.

“The anxiety is always going to be there,” Unver said. “The way I always describe it is ‘Once you have cancer, it always has a seat at your table. It can be far down the table, but it’s always going to be there.’ With the double mastectomy, I wanted it to be far down the table rather than sitting right next to me.”

While an MRI scan was warranted in Unver’s case and helped reveal the tumor in her chest wall, Dr. Borofsky noted that that modality is not recommended as a primary screening tool to detect breast cancer in women of average risk (mammography is still the recommended screening exam for average risk women).

With that, in 2024, Hackensack Meridian Health invested in a network-wide technological overhaul of its breast health programming, specifically upgrading to the next generation of high-resolution 3D mammography imaging with AI assistance and incorporating a lifetime risk-assessment program through specialized software as part of screening visits.

Since its implementation, Borofsky said the risk assessment software now used with every mammogram has been “a game changer,” and that during a screening visit, a team member asks the patient questions and enters them into the risk assessment system.

From there, the system analyzes the patient’s age, family history, breast density, and other factors to generate a lifetime risk score, allowing clinicians to immediately identify high-risk patients who need more than a standard mammogram.

In addition, Borofsky said the AI-assistance acts as an image checker, flagging suspicious areas for the radiologist and providing a “case score” to help prioritize.

“This investment in women’s breast health might be one of the most important things I’ve been involved with in my career,” Borofsky said.

While the technology is important, Borofsky and Breast Surgery Medical Director Roshani Patel, MD, FACS, also noted that it’s imperative that patients are cared for by an experienced and compassionate team.

Patel, who has a holistic approach to breast cancer care, added that their work is about treating the ‘whole’ patient.

“When a patient comes into the office, I’m not just treating cancer,” Patel said. “I’m assessing emotions, their support at home — it’s important.”

Prior to her surgery, Patel said she counseled Unver on all her options, empowering her to make an informed decision about her treatment plan.

Today, Unver said that her breast cancer journey has allowed for an even deeper connection with patients in her work as a nurse and is urging others to advocate for themselves and their health at every opportunity.

“We all get so busy with so many things and think ‘Okay, well if I don’t go [to the doctor] now, I’ll just go in a couple months,’ and before you know it, it’s 10-15-18 months later and you’re getting the testing or lab work or doctor visit that you were supposed to get, and you can’t get that time back,” Unver said.

“You are the one who has to call the breast surgeon or the GYN, you are the one who has to hold it together,” Unver continued. “It’s exhausting and it’s overwhelming, but if you don’t do that for yourself, I truly believe that the consequences can be dire.”

When it comes to advocating for yourself and your health, Unver cited her own experience with breast cancer, posing that if she had decided to wait to go to the doctor or wait a few months for an MRI, “who knows what would have happened at that point?”

“It’s inconvenient and it takes time and it’s annoying, but it’s not going to be as inconvenient and annoying and as devastating as if you decide to wait and, unfortunately, get worse news,” Unver said.

Though she describes herself as a private person, Unver said that by being vulnerable and sharing her breast cancer story, she hopes to inspire others and to help at least one person get the care they need.

“Be vigilant in knowing your health risks and knowing what screenings you need," Unver said. "If you have an inkling of anything being wrong, then you need to fight and advocate for yourself and find a team that will work with you."

“There are so many patients that are sick, there are so many things going on in people’s lives," Unver continued. "The only one that you can really rely on to advocate for yourself is you.”

To learn more about breast health and screenings, you can click here.