My mom rated 5 on ultrasound

Adri92

hi, my mom's been considered high risk for BC before because my maternal grandmother passed away from BC in 1990 (she was only 45).

My mom's doctor has recommended she get an MRI and mammo every year.

She just had her most recent and they sent her for an additional mammo and ultrasound. We just had her appointment with her doctor today. And he says the ultrasound was rated a 5 and that in his experience this is likely cancer. She has a lump in her right breast he described as size of marble and 2 other lumps the size of a BB.

Her biopsy is 3/7. I'm scared and worried. Does she likely have cancer? My mom is only 46.

cive

A bi-rads 5 does mean that it is highly suspicious for malignancy, but you won't know for sure until they do a biopsy.  It would sound like that if it is malignant, they have found it quickly which will mean a better outcome for her.  Early stage breast cancer is very treatable, but the treatment needed will again depend on that biopsy.  So there it is, hurry up and wait.  Hoping that you get a b9 result, but in any case we are here to listen.  

marie5890

Like cive, said, with a BIRAD5, she does have a 95% chance of it being cancer. Have we had people with a 5 rating come back B9? Yes we have on occasion. Most, however, do come back cancerous.

With that said, it's a very good thing that she has had mammo's and MRIs for this very reason; since she is at high risk, they wanted to make sure, if she were to get cancer, that it was caught early. So if this does come back cancer, that screening did just what it was supposed to do, catch it early. That is a very good thing.

A couple of things to think about since she is facing a most likely cancer Dx, 1) genetic testing for her, for you.

2) Here is a link to the "Just Diagnosed" section of the forums that can help you with some practical things you can do while you wait. Ideas for "getting your ducks" in a row.

3) know that "breast cancer" is an umbrella term for over 20+ kinds of different cancer*s* that can effect the breast. If she does have cancer, it will take a bit of time for all the information to come in for what kind of cancer *she* has

4) STAY off DR GOOGLE. He is not helpful, outdated in his information

5) Consider having an anti-anxiety med prescription for your mother. A bunch of information will be given, and it can be overwhelming

6) and most important. A cancer diagnosis does such, BUT, when a treatment plan is in place, it's do-able. You all will get thru this. You all will feel more in control with a treatment plan in place

MTwoman

Adri,

I just want to add that breast cancer treatment can be very different now than it was in 1990. Try as best you can to focus on the present (see marie's link above) and collecting the most up to date information, not remembering the past. There will most likely be more different kinds of testing, if your Mother is diagnosed, than your grandmother had, as these will help determine if some of the new treatments will be helpful to your Mother. For instance, it is typical to look for HER2neu, a substance that we now know can feed tumors to make them more aggressive. If a tumor comes back as over-expressing HER2 (HER2+ result) then there is actually a targeted treatment for that. And the genetic testing that marie talked about is also a newer, very important test to help look at increased risk. There is also a test called an oncotype test, that actually looks at the cancer cells themselves and can tell her providers about the risk/benefit of chemotherapy. So, I know you must be worried, but try to take it one step at a time, and use these boards for support and information as there is a wealth of knowledge here. ((Hugs)) to you and your Mom.

Adri92

Thank you all for your replies. I really do appreciate it. We are doing our best to remain strong. It's just a whirlwind of emotions.

Does anyone by chance know approximately how long the biopsy procedure itself will take?

mustlovepoodles

MTwoman, you are so right--BC treatment in 1990 was practically the stone age. Treatment has improved by leaps and bounds in the last 30 years. The statistical survival rates are higher than they're ever been.

Adri92, although it is possible that this may be benign, in all likelihood it is malignant. Once your mother has the biopsy results and she has a plan, thing will settle down a bit (mine took no more than an hour or two). The waiting game is brutal, but having a plan makes most of us feel in control. Try to stay off Dr Google--he is not your friend! There is a LOT of illegitimate information out there. If you have to seek out answers, come to BCO.

One thing I would strongly suggest is that your mother have genetic testing, due to her age and the age at which her mother had BC. Not just testing for the BRCA genes, which are the most common of the BC gene mutations, but get an expanded testing. There are other rare gene mutations that can cause BC. You need to know whether she is positive. If she is, you have a 50% chance of having it yourself. If you do, there are ways to be pro-active in lowering you own risk.

My family history is pretty awful for breast and colon cancers, in particular, but other cancers as well. I had the expanded testing. The BRCA genes were negative, but two rare gene mutations turned up. I have PALB2 and Chek2 mutations. PALB2 is the Pathway And Locator for BRCA. Some researchers think that PALB2 may be called BRCA3 eventually because some people have virtually the same risk. My own risk was 45%+ and my 23yo DDs risk is pegged at 58%+, squarely in BRCA2 territory.

I hope for the best for you and your mother. Just know that if it does turn out to be cancer, there are great treatments available. As my Dr said, "You're not going to die from this, but this next year is going to SUCK." She was right, of course, but here I am and doing well. I hope for the best for you and your mother.

Adri92

mustlovepoodles - thank you! Yes, she has been tested for BRCA and was negative. I had no idea there was other testing and we've never been told of other testing. I will be sure to let her know so we can be aware of what might be out there.

Thank you all again for your words. And

Adri92

Just an update -

The doctor called my mom yesterday with the results. And 2 of her 3 lumps are malignant.

As far as I know, he wasn't able to tell her what stage. It sounds like they need to do more tests to verify if it has spread. He is writing a referral for an oncologist. In the meantime we have an appointment Tuesday with her doctor.

Are there any important questions we should ask at our appointment?

MTwoman

I'm sure others will chime in with excellent questions. I think at first you want to know any/all details from the pathology report and get a copy. Whether the lumps are in the same quadrant of the breast may affect recommendations for lumpectomy vs mastectomy. Are they recommending an mri to look for other areas of concern?

They usually don't stage women until after surgery (with the entirety of tissue submitted for pathology, as sometimes what was sampled via biopsy could differ from what was left in the breast) and any other scans (the tests that will determine if it has spread). It is good to understand if there is a tumor board, or breast team, where specialty providers with various expertise meet to discuss treatment recommendations; or other specialty providers that you would like to meet with BEFORE surgery is scheduled. In bc with certain characteristics, they recommend adjuvant chemo (before surgery), so you'd want to know that before scheduling any surgical intervention. I know it is a lot to take in. Bring a note pad and perhaps a tape recorder (or use your phone) so that you can go back and re-hear things that might get forgotten.

((hugs)) for you and your Mom

Adri92

Hey all,

An update. We did meet with the medical oncologist this morning. He has some of the pathology report from the biopsy. She is ER+ so we know now she will need hormonal therapy afterwards. As for HER2 he said one came back as negative and one as equivocal? So they resent it again so they can determine treatment.

They do have a tumor board so we are also being referred to a radiologist. They said she will likely need the mastectomy instead of the lumpectomy based on where the tumor is and the fact that she like 2 other masses they biopsied. And so they think its too much tissue to recommend a lumpectomy.

The oncologist said he could potentially due a clinical stage after she completes her CT scan and bone scan and blood work. He physically felt lymphnodes and none of are concern. The MRI had shown one of potential concern but the mammo and ultrasound were done after and everything was fine.

The only thing concerning us is that the MRI is implying the cancer has reached the skin and the doctor said if it has that is stage III....