MRI - BI-RADS 4 - what next

KrisSF

Hi all - New to forum and looking for some advice for any who have had similar MRIs as what to expect next

I am 38 and high risk due to family hx and this was the results of first MRI

Right breast: BI-RADS 4 - Suspicious. 0.8 cm linear
non-Mass enhancement in the lower outer right breast,
posterior third. Recommend targeted ultrasound to
search for sonographic correlate. If not seen on
ultrasound, recommend MRI guided biopsy.

Left breast: BI-RADS 4 - Suspicious. 1.7 cm linear
non-Mass enhancement in the outer left breast,
posterior third. Recommend targeted ultrasound to
search for sonographic correlate. If not seen on
ultrasound, MRI guided biopsy can be attempted, though
may not be possible due to proximity to the pectoralis
major muscle. If not amenable to MRI guided biopsy,
short interval followup in 6 months versus wire
localized excision may be considered, depending on
results of tissue sampling in the right breast.

Thanks!!

MTwoman

KrisSF, I am so sorry you find yourself here, worried about your breast health. I didn't have a similar experience with my mri, but am sure someone else will come along soon with one to share. What I can tell you, is that BIRADS 4 (without an a, b or c clarifier) has a positive predictive value of about 30%, which means that about 70% of the findings with that label will be b9. You can read more here about that scoring system: http://breast-cancer.ca/bi-rads/

do you have your ultra sound scheduled yet? do try your best to keep yourself busy and distracted while you wait. It's hard, but being stressed out and worried won't help you. I am sending positive thoughts for you and hoping for b9 results!

KrisSF

Thanks for the note and the link to the scoring system. I have an Mamo and Ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow

MTwoman

Oh good! Waiting is just awful. If the US isn't able to detect the areas of concern, then you'll be scheduling your biopsy through the mri imaging center. Please do let us know how everything goes!