Who had an MRI prior to surgery for DCIS and how helpful was it?

ballet12

Rosamond, I am impressed that you are researching this and dealing with this so thoroughly. It also sounds like the MRI was helpful for you.  In my case, since I'd already had 4 cms of DCIS taken out (without clean margins), the MRI showed possibly more DCIS or just the inflammation from the procedure.  I did have more, but not much more.  The total may be about 5 cms.  It's hard to gauge because it was multifocal, and only one margin was affected after the second surgery.  Anyway, three lumpectomies was the charm, and with wide margins on #3.  Best of luck to you, whatever you chose.

Rosamond

Thanks, ballet12. I am glad I have taken the time to research and have made a good match with my medical team.

Beesie

Rosamond,

I'm glad that your MRI went smoothly and didn't uncover any major surprises, particularly with regard to your other breast.  I remember being so relieved when my 'good' breast came back clear!

Since you are still unsure about whether to have a lumpectomy or mastectomy, I think that having the other biopsy is a great idea. As you said, if it's clear, you can feel more confident in trying the lumpectomy, and if it's DCIS, then you will know that a MX really is the better option.  It's sounds like a good plan. 

Good luck with the biopsy! 

Rosamond

Thanks, Beesie. Your many posts, and those of ballet12 as well, have been very helpful. Your straightforward and non-alarmist approaches full of helpful facts and reflection have been invaluable. Thank you for using the gift of your experiences to help those of us who are newly diagnosed. I find so much of what is posted here to be scary, yet the vast majority of postings are helpful in that they show how supportive and informative this community can be-and, I must respect other people's realities, despite the fact that I may find them personally scary. We are all on our own journeys and doing the best we can to work it all out.

Rosamond

My MRI biopsy showed invasion, unfortunately. There may be two foci at least 1cm large. Plan is changing. Glad I had the biopsy! Hoping for the best. With all the hoopla about DCIS not being cancer, I started to wonder if I was going to be over treated. My surgeon believes the invasion emerged from the DCIS. It is similar in estrogen and progesterone positive status, and it is right next to the DCIS.

CTMOM1234

I'm glad you had the mri, although sorry about the idc. Wishing you the best.

BTW, like yours, my idc was similar in grade and right next to my dcis, so assume the invasion emerged from the IDLE (hardly an appropriate proposed name..at least not for my grade 2 dcis that with clearly not idle).

ballet12

Hi Rosamond, we are hoping and praying for you.  This must be very tough.  I'm glad you switched institutions and are in a place that can help you going forward.  This is important.  Hang in there and keep us posted (even though you might be switching threads, for the most part).  And yes, your case shows, sometimes, just how far one needs to go to get a full and accurate picture.

Rosamond

Thanks, ballet12. I am in shock, but oh, so grateful for the excellent team working on my behalf. I learned a lot from this thread, and I've already checked out many others. I am looking forward to the day when cancer will not be the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I think of at night...and, all during the night.



Thanks, again, for the support.

Rosamond

CTMOM1234,



I totally agree that IDLE is like the worst name ever for DCIS! So misleading. I agree that there could be some innocuous DCIS, but who the hell can tell which is which with a high degree of certainty? And, now, here I go on my own unique journey, like many others before you and me, dealing with IDC that evolved from DCIS.

CTMOM1234

Totally agree with you 100%, Rosamond. And that day will come when bc is not the first thing you think of in the morning and the last thing you think of at night -- truly wishing you the best and sending you a little prayer and a big hug {{{HUG}}} tonight!

Beesie

Well, crap to the results of the MRI biopsy!  But yes, it is good that you decided to have this biopsy so you can decide on what you want to do having a much better idea of what is going on.

Sending (((Hugs))). 

Rosamond

As promised, here's the surgical path results as compared to MRI. It was very accurate in estimating size and extent of the DCIS. It was also the only imaging that correctly identified invasion, but it overestimated it, thankfully. The surgical pathology showed largest invasive tumor as 1.6mm and a 3mm tumor was removed in the MRI biopsy. I consider myself lucky beyond compare as these tiny tumors are highly aggressive. In fact, I read somewhere that only 10% of highly amplified HER2/neu tumors are ever found at such a small size.



Feeling grateful for the large amount of DCIS that spurred the team and I to explore further before surgery.



Thanks to all who responded along the way! Peace and blessings all around...

Beesie

Rosamond, I'm glad to hear that the surgical pathology report provided nothing new except for the info about your area of invasion being considerably smaller than estimated!  That's good news! 

pkohl10

I found out 3 weeks ago that I have 15 cm or more from the MRI.  Getting a double mastectomy Aug 30th.  Did you have a sentinel lymph node biopsy?  Should I be more worried it'll be in my nodes since it's such a large amount?

seaniebopp

I am scheduled to have an MRI on Friday.  I have had two LX both showing DCIS without invasion. Praying that the MRI doesn't find anything else.

ww3354

My mammo showed nothing. Fortunately I had a bloody discharge which prompted them to do more testing and 3 tiny growths were discovered in an ultrasound - thankfully I had a very patient technician that wouldn't give up. This brought me to my BS who sent me for a biopsy. This time I didn't have a patient ultrasound technician and she wouldn't listen to me to point out where they had found them before, so she couldn't locate the growths and the biopsy doctor wouldn't do the biopsy. This doctor told me that they don't normally do MRI's as there are too many false positives which only force you to go through more testing. Wasn't I surprised that in the report he sent my BS he recommended I have an MRI. The MRI actually showed no sign of malignancy. My BS and I decided that there was something in there that wasn't suppose to be and we agreed to do a lumpectomy.

Lb1234

Hi everyone. I just have to share my story. I'm an MD who foolishly did not get a mammogram for 2.5 years. All I had had in the past were mammograms which showed very dense breasts (never an ultrasound) bc , as my radiologist said "you're so young" (at 46). Well, fast forward to January 2017. I had felt a small "thickening" in October or November so decided to get health insurance - I had let it lapse bc I was trying to save money- Had a mammogram which showed "small cancer" confirmed with ultrasound and then biopsy - the docs T this facility were surprised I felt that small a lump. Anyways had MRI which showed several more areas missed on ultrasound (multiple) and 2 mammos - all done within a month aftter diagnosis. Long story short one of the spots on MRI was high grade comedo necrotic DCIS measuring almost 3 cm. I'm stage 1 with an excellent prognosis and will insist on MRI from now o

Lb1234

oh, just saw the dates. You're probably all gone by now . Just passionate about people being aware that dense breasts have five times the risk of cancer and are only detected on 50% (cancer in these breasts) of mammograms

Rosamond

@Lb1234

Many of us are still around. 😊

Tomorrow is the 4th anniversary of my mastectomy. I was told I had dense breasts for several years and wish I had known the risks involved. That said, I'm not sure I would have been granted an MRI any sooner. I also went too many years between mammograms, and my DCIS barely showed up on the mammogram. Yes, it was the MRI that discovered the invasive portion - and, in actuality, the second time through, when I had an MRI biopsy.

Glad your cancer was found, too. Good luck.

dtad

Just want to add IMO MRIs are a must with dense breasts...