Results

Shelleylala

Got results from my wire guided breast biopsy. Good News! No cancer! I do have Ductal Hyperplasia. My Dr is referring me to an Oncologist for preventive measures. I had Flat Epithelial Atypia cells.

marie5890

YAY for no cancer.

What you do have is known as ADH (Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia) and it does increase your risk for BC a bit. Don't freak over that, just educate yourself. So glad you are ok.

ENJOY YOUR WEEK!!

Ddw79

I have ADH too and I was told that it increased my chances of getting breast cancer quite a bit. Depending on who I taked the increase risk is 20-25% so not small

Shelleylala

thank you! I have been reading up on ADH and I plan on asking Oncologist questions as well.

kwhit

Ugggggh, I've been googling terms used in my pathology after my surgeon who was watching me closely for 3 years because she says I have alot going on has now moved out of state. I had abnormality on mammogram rated Birad 4 in September 2012. I then had an excisional biopsy in October of 2012 where three specimens were removed and showed the following:

1. right breast lumpectomy: focal mild fibrocystic changes. no formal patterns of atypia present.

2. right breast, excisional biopsy: minimal focus of flat epithelial atypia; mild fibrocystic changes, including focally clustered microcysts, focal fibroadenomatoid change; scattered associated benign microcalcifications and that the surgical margins are negative for atypia.

3. right breast, excisional biopsies: benign unremarkable breast parenchyma. no formal patters of atypia present.

all of that in what started out as a lump the size of a grain of rice. not sure why 3 specimens were removed except that she had a hard time finding it because my breast are dense.

I had a 6 month follow up mammogram that revealed no abnormalities, so then went back to once a year and still no abnormalties. Since 6 month followup my mammo results have said my breast are heterogenously (sp??) dense, never said that before biopsy.

I also had a complete hysterectomy in December 2012 due to adenomyosis of my uterus and was told that removing my ovaries would help whatever is going on in my breast.

I am freaking out because my surgeon, who is a breast cancer survivor, is now out of state and am unsure if I am getting the best treatment due to the FEA. My OB/GYN says I am fine and if anything shows up she will send me to a breast specialists. I feel like I am a ticking time bomb and hope they know what they are talking about. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, Im scared that something is being overlooked......

LisaAlissa

Could you ask for your former surgeon for a referral to a colleague who is still in your area? And perhaps ask that she forward records and her thoughts...

That might improve your chances for continuity of care.

HTH,

LisaAlissa

kwhit

Probably so but Im in the process of finding a breast specialist on my own in our area. The FEA has me so freaked out, I feel like I have cancer already......

MelissaDallas

kwhit, The way I understand it is, SOMETIMES, other stuff is found near FEA. If you had a needle biopsy that showed FEA, then an excisional biopsy that showed nothing associated with the FEA, you are fine

kwhit

Thank you for your post. I just had an excisional biopsy that showed the FEA, as well as some other scary sounding things, but it did say that the margins were negative for atypia. The surgeon did say that even if it was breast cancer the only treatment would have been removal. The surgeon did worry me when she said she was pretty sure she got it, but considering she removed 3 specimens and my mammos have been okay since, Im going to try to relax. This is just all so scary! Thanks again, hope all is well with you!

kwhit

After reading other's post I was even more confused that some with FEA were referred to an onocologist for followup and I was not, just 6 month mammo then back to yearly mammos. Im assuming its because mine only showed the FEA.

MelissaDallas

I think FEA is one of those things that are treated with a great deal of variability from one facility to another. Some excise when it is found on needle biopsy. Some don't. Some do f/u and some don't.

kwhit

Yes, from what I'm reading that is how I'm understanding it too. Again, thank you for your response. This is just all so confusing.

kwhit

So I have my appointment with a breast specialist scheduled for April 27, 2016, had to push it back because my husband wants to go with me. Anyways, ever since my biopsy in 2012 my mammos suddenly began saying I have heterogenously dense breast, I have asked if I should have an ultrasound as well as a mammogram due to this and have been told no! I have been reading alot about this and even saw on Oprah that Joan Lunden had dense breast, had a clear mammo walked across the hall had an ulstrasound and they found cancer all in the same day. It was a very aggressive cancer I might add, though she didn't say what kind! I hope the BS agrees with my follow up treatment since my biopsy, but I am going to push to have an ultrasound along with my mammo from now on!

MelissaDallas

Almost everyone who isn't prepubescent, adolescent or elderly has heterogeneously dense breasts. That is "normal" density. The fact that they found the area of suspicion to begin with probably indicates your breasts aren't too dense to image sucessfully.

kwhit

MelissaDallas you seem to know alot about all this and thank you again for your responses! I never really thought of it that way and that makes sense! Seems I'm second guessing everything now, not sure why, except I recently lost my stepmom and then my dad, two years apart, she was 59 smoked and died two months after being diagnosed with a very aggressive lung cancer and he just turned 70 and died with multiple myeloma and a massive heart attack. Seems I'm just waiting on the next bad news to arrive......

MelissaDallas

The "very dense" category is truly the problem. This is a good "layman's explanation:

http://breast-cancer.ca/densitbi-rads/

MelissaDallas

I'm sorry about your folks.

I kind of catastrophized afer my LCIS diagnosis, but I've cooled off a lot about it after a few years

kwhit

I can only imagine, its scary and alot to deal with! Prayers for you! Thanks again for the info, its been very helpful!

oceangirl654

Can you pay to get an MRI? I would do that if you have dense tissue. Sometimes things only show up in MRI and not any other test. Also, for SURE they should do an ultrasound and focus on the areas that show up as white/dense on the mammogram. I would go to a university cancer center to get tested properly. It is completely hopeless that they said they can't do an ultrasound. My breast cancer did not show up on mammogram. There was one patch of dense tissue and it was there. The second time I got a mammogram I had a different radiologist and she looked at the area of dense tissue on ultrasound and found the breast cancer there. Then I had an MRI and it found a second area of breast cancer nearby that hadn't shown up on mammogram or ultrasound. Best wishes to you x

kwhit

Not sure so hopefully when I see the Breast Specialist she can shed some light on all of this and what needs to be done as far as whether a yearly mammo is enough. It seems all my friends also have heterogenously dense breast!