Possible biopsy of wrong area?

janejetson

I am so tired of dealing with this. Maybe someone else has experienced something similar? I have had a surgical breast biopsy years ago that came back benign. However I recently found a little hard lump in the other breast. I visited the same surgeon as the previous time, he referred me for a mammogram and ultrasound and both showed nothing. However my lump cannot be felt laying down only sitting up, so my doctor made me question the ultrasound results when he called the next day and asked me if she did the ultrasound in the right area... he then told me to follow up in 3 months. I felt uneasy, so I decided to have my film transferred and seek a second opinion from another surgeon. This surgeon did an ultrasound himself in the office while sitting up, he saw something tiny and decided to do a biopsy there guided by the ultrasound. (I Am not sure what the correct term is, it was a device with a needle and made snapping sounds). He marked the area with a marker and had a difficult time pin pointing it again after numbing me. After he was done he said it was very tiny and looked mostly like fatty tissue and I probably wouldnt even feel it again. This was two days ago, I'm sore, and my annoying little pea sized knot is still there. Is it possible that he biopsied the wrong area? I wonder now if I am being dilegent or crazy

janejetson

Went back for follow up today, biopsy was benign and doctor felt lump and agreed that it was not what he biopsied (although he did biopsy something he saw on ultrasound). He said that he did ultrasound this area and nothing alarming came up. He wants me to monitor the area for a while and let him know if it changes, after commenting that "it feels like a bb". That's it... after two surgeons and ultrasounds I don't feel like I have any other options. Apparently I have to live with this and monitor it. Has anyone had a similar experience? I'm just at a loss

MTwoman

jane, So there are many things that happen in the breast, and many of them can be felt, that aren't breast cancer. Following up in either 3, 6 or 12 months, when the risk of breast cancer is believed to be less than 2% (based on characteristics and imaging) is very common. What they are doing is seeing if the area is stable over time, or if it changes/grows. There are also benign things that grow, so that criteria alone doesn't suggest malignancy, just closer inspection. See the diagram below:

May I ask your age? and whether you have any family history that increases your personal risk? These are also factors that are considered. If you continue to have concerns about the lump, you could discuss getting an mri with your provider. MRI are much more sensitive, but not specific; meaning they find lots of stuff, but it isn't necessarily cancer. The sensitivity leads to an increased number of things that then have to be biopsied for verification.

Hope that helps somewhat. The waiting is the worst, but some women are on 'enhanced' imaging protocols (going every 3 or 6 months) for years. Good luck!

ready2bedone

janejetson - it might be possible that the small lump you felt after the core biopsy is just a small hematoma (I got a huge one from mine). If so, it will go away on its own in a week or two. If it doesn't, I would also suggest you continue to ask for verification as to what it is.