Why is Breast MRI Needed?

Michele327

Hello,

I had a suspicious area on my breast from the 3D mammogram. Went in and had some repeat scans/spot compression done and was told I was fine and could go home.

Just received a call from my gynecologist that the radiologist wants me to have a breast MRI. She told me due to the fact that my sister has breast cancer, my breasts are dense, etc. it is needed. I asked if this is something I HAVE to do since my other images were OK and she said " if the radiologist says for you to have this done, then you need to have it done".

Is this typical to have a Breast MRI when nothing is wrong???

Thanks!!

Juls4

It sounds to me like the radiologist didn't feel like the mamagram pictures were sufficient to rule out cancer. That might just mean that he/she recogognized that you have dense breasts and wants to be certain they didn't miss anything. I finished treatment for breast cancer but because I have the BRCA mutation, I have a high chance of developing a second cancer (independant of the first cancer). The screening for that is a mammagram every 6 months and a breast MRI every 6 months. The MRI is just more thorough. Sounds like you have a doctor and radiologist who are diligent and taking your family history seriously. That's a good thing. No big deal if it's nothing, and if they find cancer then you almost certainly caught it really early.

1momx3

Hi michele.. a breast mri wwo contrast allows tge radiologist to see.sextio s of your breast. With dense breasts its harder to detect on a mammo. Its the right way to go. Good luck

jenny153

Hi Michelle A breast mri is like the gold standard equipment in picking up any suspicious areas which a mammo or ultrasound may not do. I had two very small tumors which did not show up on mammo or ultrasound. I would definitely go with the advice of your radiologist and have it done, hopefully all will be ok. Good luck.

SummerAngel

An MRI is not a bad idea if you have very dense tissue and an increased risk of breast cancer. I had a 1 cm tumor that wasn't visible at all on mammogram because of extremely dense tissue.

gb2115

Yup, they like the MRIs when you have dense breasts, and especially with that type of family history. Sounds like they are just being thorough. I had one, well two actually (because one was a biopsy), before surgery so they could double-check to make sure they hadn't missed any other areas. It was easy, honestly. I didn't feel claustrophobic at all, because of being face down. You are basically staring at the floor. I also had a bone scan which was much more claustrophobia causing, because you can actually see the machine coming really close to your face. The contrast wasn't a big deal at all. Not like CT contrast which I think makes you feel awful. The MRI contrast felt like a wave through my body, but wasn't unpleasant. It was more weird than anything. Like I could feel it going through my lips and eyes...like a weird wave. LOL

They will probably check a stat BUN/creatinine before the MRI, unless you have blood work (chemistries) that are less than a month old. So don't be surprised by that.

Tappermom383

Michele, after my screening mammogram, diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound, the radiologist advised my having an MRI as I, too, have very dense tissue. She just couldn't be sure what, if anything, she was seeing. After the MRI, I was referred to a surgeon, who sent me for a needle biopsy; from that my DCIS and IDC were diagnosed. The good news is that it is early and small (less than 2 cm). If the radiologist recommends an MRI, I'd have it done. Better to be safe - it may be nothing (which is what we all hope for you) but if it is something, it will be early. Best of luck to you.

MJ

lrwells50

My only problem with the breast MRI is that there are a high number of false positives. In my case, it made the surgeon order an MRI biopsy, and it was all benign. That said, my breasts aren't dense, and it wasn't the radiologist that ordered it, it was the breast surgeon. The thought of that cycle every 6 months made me decide on BMX.

MTwoman

Irwells50 and Michele327, Here is an interesting article about mri false positive rate in breasts. That rate seems to fall with repetition.

http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/articles/breast-mri-scan-false-positive-rate-drops-repetition

The found that "women getting the baseline MRI scan were almost four times more likely (10.1 percent) to get a six-month follow-up recommendation for suspicious findings than patients who had at least one previous MRI scan with a comparison available (2.6 percent)." And "for the baseline group, the false-positive rate was 13 percent, compared with 5.6 percent in the other group."

mri is very helpful for women with dense breasts, and I'd guess your family history adds to your personal risk. Your medical team seem to be trying to provide you with the best care that they can. Good luck!

Michele327

Thank you for all of the responses! The nurse told me I was a level 1 (no cancer) so I was just concerned why the MRI is needed. It is going to be costing us $1200 after insurance so I am not 100% sure I want to have it done. I feel like the chances would be slim that I would have breast cancer just because my sister does. Do you all think I should pay that and have it done? I have a gyno appointment next week so i will ask more about it with her as well. I just don't know how I am going to come up with that much money...

Thanks everyone!!!!

MinusTwo

Michelle - I'm not sure what you mean by 'level'. There are grades of breast cancer, and grade zero is DCIS - which some people say is technically not cancer. Grade 1 is cancer. There are stages, but there would be no way to evaluate that w/o a biopsy or surgery.

With dense breasts and a sister with breast cancer, I would have the MRI. But it's a personal decision. The alternative is, can you put the worry away and wake up every morning and never think about it at all for another year?

Regarding the cost, talk to your docs & see if there are programs that could help. Or maybe tell the doc you don't have the finances and see what ideas they have - or if they think you can give it a pass.

MTwoman

I think she means BIRADS 1? They just want an mri due to the density of her breasts and the family history of bc.

Michele327

Yes, sorry. I meant BIRADS 😀