Mammogram question

[Nanci]

Another mamm/needle loc tech opinion:

Do you have a strong family history?

She says it is the microcalcifications that are worrisome- a pea-sized white density could be a lymph node, cyst, a number of non-malignant possibilities.

I asked her, if it was you, would you demand a biopsy right now? No. She'd wait six months and see what the new mammo showed.

(Both these techs are who assists the radiologist in placing a clip in a suspicious area to mark the area before the pt goes to surgery to have the area removed- they have seen hundreds of breast cancers and not breast cancers.)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Get a second opinion!! And don't wait to do it.

I had a friend who had a small lump and her doctor looked at it, said don't worry about it it's benign, go home. It kept growing and 4 months later she went to another doctor and found out it was the very deadliest form of breast cancer, and she had waited way too long. She battled it for two years but lost. She was my age and left behind a 14 yr old son. Though not common, these things do happen.
Don't let this happen to ANY of you women out there!! If there's a suspicious finding- GET A SECOND OPINION RIGHT AWAY. It's nothing to take chances with.

[Dogmama]

I had the same thing a couple of years ago. Turned out to be nothing. They said it was fairly common, but still bears watching. The good thing is that I go to the same breast center each year for my annual squeeze, so they have all of my records. I think that is important.

[Nanci]

Having a doctor "look at" (feel?) a lump isn't the same thing as extensive films and an ultrasound...

(The same thing happened to a friend of mine with lung cancer- she had a chest x-ray for a persistant cough, there was a small density, she showed it to EVERYONE in a large teaching hospital, rads, ER docs, surgeons, her fiance surgeon and everyone told her the same thing- wait six months, get another film. One surg resident stood out and told her she needed a biopsy- but the majority ruled. Six months later- invasive lung CA to her mediastinum and lymph nodes. They gave her a 5% chance of surviving. She did.)

Nanci