Are you dense

kayakgirl

Here is a website I found that talks about dense breast and what kind of follow up you should have. The website is www.areyoudense.org    I had yearly negative mammograms when an area of breast thickening was found in my right breast by my GYN nurse practitioner in 2008.  She send me for testing which showed I had a negative diagnostic mammogram and just a vague shadow on ultrasound. I was told be the radiologist that I could have a repeat mammogram and ultrasound in 6 months or see a breast surgeon. Thank God, I choose to see a breast surgeon. I had a 3.8 cm invasive cancer breast. Looking back at my yearly mammogram medical reports they all said I had dense breast which I now know is both a risk factor for breast cancer and a factor that hides breast cancer on mammograms.

Fearless_One

I had digitals every year for 4 years.   1.97 tumor - nada.   No-can-see.   MRI's are a MUST for dense breasts.

bcincolorado

Great topic!  I have dense tissues or as I call them...."stupid boobs!"

Titan

I am dense too!.. being dense means that mammos can't see through the density...I know that there are finally some things going on to help women with dense breast get more than a mammo..we "dense" ladies NEED this..had a "clean" mammo in 8-09..found a 1.8 cm. tumor 6 mos. later...bull crap...We dense ladies need more than a mammo...we need to insist on it...mine are finally turning into fat..but it was too late

Lindaip

When we moved in June of 2000, I went to a nurse practitioner who told me to come back in September ( I had noticed 1 newly inverted nipple). In September I saw a gynocologist who did a small biopsy. The results we negative. From June 2000 to January of 2002 I had 3 mammograms all of which showed I had dense breasts. In January of 2002 my breast began to bleed from the biopsy site of a year and a half before. They had biopsied the wrong spot. I had a 2 cm tumor that was Stage III because it was attached to the skin.

Lindaip

When we moved in June of 2000, I went to a nurse practitioner who told me to come back in September ( I had noticed 1 newly inverted nipple). In September I saw a gynocologist who did a small biopsy. The results we negative. From June 2000 to January of 2002 I had 3 mammograms all of which showed I had dense breasts. In January of 2002 my breast began to bleed from the biopsy site of a year and a half before. They had biopsied the wrong spot. I had a 2 cm tumor that was Stage III because it was attached to the skin.

sunangel27

Count me in on the dense boobies......

TinaT

Me too - Digital mammogram in June 2010 showed no masses "but lesions could be obscured by dense breast tissue" (my usual report).  I felt no masses, I had no family history and I finally decided I wanted an MRI for peace of mind.  My MRI in December 2010 showed 5 suspicious areas - 3 benign fibroadenomas, 1 ILC, and 1 DCIS.  I'll be forever grateful to the breast surgeon who was able to get the MRI authorized after 3 other doctors tried and failed (according to my insurance I didn't fit the criterion for MRI). 

MRI FOR DENSE BREASTS!!!!! 

suzanneinphoenix

I was/had extremely dense breast tissue.  Lesion was found on routine/yearly digital mammogram.  Lesion could not be felt or detected by ultrasound.  Looking back, I should have tried to have a MRI like my GYN suggested, but neither of us really pushed for it.  As they say...hind site is 20/20!

Suzanne

mammalou

I'm "extremely dense" and digital mammograms are not sufficient.  You must get an MRI to see anything.  5 years of digital mammograms showed NOTHING!  Ultra sound found benign tumor, missed IDC.  MRI found 3.6 cm IDC tumor, but didn't see benign fibroadenoma.  Be diligent and don't let them stop looking until you are satisfied.

comingtoterms

You know, I have asked this question several times since my diagnosis: if I found my own cancer two months after a "clean" mammogram, why should I ever trust even a digital mammogram ever again? Also, I read that if your breast density does not decrease after six months on tamoxifen, it means that the tamoxifen is not working. My Onc. says he has never heard of this study. My BS says that digital mammograms are protocol after a BC diagnosis. Hmmmmmm..... not very reassuring, is it? But I am being treated at a major cancer center, so I guess I need to trust them. Tammy

mammalou

My BS has examined my mammogram and my MRI's after I discussed the density issue with her and after my diagnosis.  She said that in order for me to feel any security with future screening I will require MRI's and she will back me up on that.  I am also at a major cancer center.  The truth is that she probably would have not been as conscious of my breast density if I didn't bring it up.  When I did bring it up, she pulled up my mammogram on the computer and instantly said, "you need an MRI".  This was prior to my diagnosis. Up until that point she was just reading my radioligist's report.  If you are dense, you should be persistent and demand an MRI.  Of course, I am extremely dense and if you have just a small amount of density, this may be different.

TinaT

mammalou:  According to the report, my dense breast tissue was even an issue on the MRI.  I was so focused on the five abnormal areas that I just recently reread the report and it surprised me.  I had an additional area of lobular and "many" areas of ADH at final pathology that weren't seen on MRI so they either were too small to be seen by any imaging modality or dense breast tissue can be an issue with MRI as well.

I wish more radiologists would actually recommend an MRI in the mammogram report.  Seems too many referring docs only read that "Impression" at the bottom and don't bother to read the body of the report, which often says something like, "No masses identified, but lesions may be obscured by dense breast tissue."  That is NOT a normal report in my book!

coraleliz

After 20+ years of mamograms which read something like "mamograms aren't accurate in patients with densities like this but you should get another one in a year", I believe the silver lining to my BC/BMX is that I will never ever have to have another mamo. The discomfort I put myself through, my eyes popping out, tearing..."OK don't move"  I've thought for a long time that the mamogram was one baby that should be thrown out with the bath water. They need to find/develop/invent something better!!!! Afterall it misses 15-20%(?) of tumors.

MsBliss

I had basically unreadable mammograms. In fact, my 1.4 cm triple negative tumor which was palpable, was completely invisible on my mammograms. I was lucky, however, because I had access to a form of ultrasound screening called SonoCine. It has been 28 months since my lumpectomy and I have a SonoCine every 6 months. It works better for dense breast screening. After 3 years, I will only need it once a year. It is also comforting to reduce the radiation exposure since breast tissue can be particularly sensitive to that. I resisted having my third breast MRI because I do not want to have a yearly MRI. I have had too many injections of gadolinium for other types of MRIs. But my feeling is breast MRIs are great on one time basis, but the gadolinium never completely leaves the body--some trace amounts remain and it can stimulate fibrocytes in the breasts and other parts of the body. I am hoping the SonoCine exam or the water ultrasounds they are doing in Chicago somehow become part of the standard of care. It would be great for us dense girls.

mammalou

TinaT: it is true that the MRI's don't catch everything.  I also had ALH and a fibroadenoma not seen on MRI.  I think that is why I'm glad I had a uni-mastectomy.  Now, I'm worried about the other breast.

Blinx

I'm dense, but I'm not pushing to get followup MRIs. Too many false positives. Not willing to go through more biopsies if they're just fishing.



After 3 1/2 years on Tamoxifen, I'm curious to see if I've gotten less dense. I didn't know this was possible, except through aging. Next mammo in about a month... I'll have to remember to ask about that.

Fearless_One

At least false positives won't kill you.  

Emaline

I guess I'm too new to this, I'm happy to follow up with MRIs.  If it is negative, great. If it isn't...glad I caught it.

I'm also dense. I've always been told I'm dense (heh!) and had fibroidcystic breast but no one ever told me anything more then that.  No one ever told me that is why my breast get super sore around my period and why it feels better to wear a good bra around that time.  No one ever told me that cancer was more difficult to see or feel.  It was just during clinical exams, I would get the "Oh you have fibroidcystic breast." or "You have very dense tissue" not "Hmmm your breast are very dense and lumpy maybe we should start doing mammograms earlier with a u/s follow up". 

Women need to know.

mammalou

I think they should do a study and ask women "would you rather worry and have a benign biopsy or would you rather we miss your cancer for a few years?".  Doctors have the logic that they are going to make us worry about false negatives and that worrying would just be horrible.  I don't get it.  I would rather catch cancer than let it progress and decrease my odds of survivial.  I am not going to worry myself to death.

CinLAlex

Hello... Just joined the 6 month club....Never heard of this dense breast issue until last month when I was called back for a repeat on my mammogram... My mom died on June 5 of ovarian cancer and lost a child and sister to lymphoma years ago, so cancer is not a stranger to my family...

My mammogram reads > Patient had two one view only densities in the right breast warranting futher evaluaton. Today 90 degree lateral views as well as spot compression in the CC projection and rolled CC views demostrate somewhat nodular moderately dense fibroglandular tissue. No persitistent mass, architectual distortion or grouping of patholigic microcalcifications.

Bi-Rads right 3   Left NA Follow up 6 months

So? Is this something I should be worrying about or not? MY GYN said at this time we shouldn't be overly concered... What do y'all think?? Really appreciate your input....

Cindy

TinaT

CinLAlex:  Sounds like an odd area showed up on one view only of your screening mammogram, could have just been the angle, etc.  On the additional call-back views they didn't see anything specific of concern even when looking hard at that area.  I wouldn't panic or be overly worried, but you might start asking about getting an MRI just on general principle because of the dense tissue.  That's what I would do anyway...

smhuse

I also have dense breasts, my mammo showed numerous microcalcifications and suspicious areas.  All in R breast.  L breast clear.  Went back for mag views and sonogram.  Two suspicous areas turned out to be cysts, one area they biopsied and it came back + for IDC.  Previous mammos did not show anything.  I am just getting started in this.  I received my diagnosis July 7th.

TinaT

smhuse:  Sorry you have to be here, but welcome!!!

Please consider asking for (actually, I would demand) an MRI to rule out anything else, particularly in the left breast.  Mammograms can miss a lot of things in dense breast tissue and you'll be able to make better surgical decisions knowing for sure that nothing else is hiding in there.

Best wishes - keep us posted!