Teresa Heinz Kerry, 71-year-old wife of U. S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said she is being treated for breast cancer discovered through mammography.

At a Washington hospital, she was being treated for cancer where she underwent lumpectomies on both breasts after doctors also discovered a benign growth on her right breast. It was confirmed in postoperative pathology. But later it was found to be malignant. In November, Heinz had another pair of lumpectomies performed at Massachusetts General Hospital. Titanium clips were also inserted in the tissue of both breasts during the operations, and next month she will receive five days of targeted radiation aimed at improving her odds of a successful treatment to 95 percent.

She says that women from 40-60 years are commonly having cancer, and should go for regular tests, and thereby avoid the treatment of cancer by aggressive chemotherapy.

The woman says she is being treated for stage one cancer in both breasts. She adds chemotherapy is very expensive and besides is very painful.

In November, the government task force released its widely criticized recommendation that women under age 50 forgo routine breast cancer tests and instead get mammograms based on consultation with their doctors and suggested routine mammograms probably aren't needed for women over age 74.