Mass in other breast one year later

Anonymous

I was diagnosed 11 months ago with stage 1 IDC in left breast. I had a successful lumpectomy (wide and clear margins, and no sign of spread) The MRI just prior to that surgery said there was a hyperintense focal area in the other (right) breast under the nipple that could have been background.

Now 12 months after that MRI, 11 months after the surgery on the left breast, I have been on tamoxifen for about 9 months and based on routine diagnostic mammogram as my screening follow up there is a mass at 12:00 near the nipple .7 (point seven) cm that the radiologist looked at in ultrasound and said will need to be removed no matter what it is. She thinks it is a papilloma but said it could be cancer. Birads 4. Again, this is in the other / contralateral breast.

I did not do chemo (low oncotype score, it was not recommended) and did not do rads on the left breast.

I have core needle biopsy tomorrow afternoon with my breast surgeon.

I have three questions:

* Why would this need to be removed if it turns out to be benign, especially as it is in the other breast?

* But more scary for me -- what if this turns out to be another cancer -- does the MRI from last year mean this has been there for at least a year?

* The radiologist asked about my screening protocol and said she would recommend that I ADD an MRI every two years because my breasts are dense and very cystic. But when I had previously asked my surgeon AND onc they both said only yearly mammo, physical exam by one of them every six months (alternate surgeaon and onc) and bring anything new to their attention. I don't do well with the MRI's as I have both nausea to the contrast AND get dizzy from the magnets (I am very prone to motion sickness) But obviously if it is the best way to screen I would do it. What should my screening protocol be, what should I ask for?

In case helpful background I was 49 years old and perimenopausal at left breast diagnosis. Since starting the tamoxifen, which I have been taking every single day, I have not had a period. My breasts do seem to have gotten a little less paintful and cystic since being on the tamoxifen, but given how many cysts the radiologist found there are obviously still fibrocystic issues. They found over a dozen in the right breast -- interestingly she said the left/cancer breast had "settled down" and was surprised that I had not had radiation, as she thought that was usually the cause of the settling down in cancer surviving breasts.

KBeee

Sorry you have this added stress. Hoping it all comes back benign. If it does come back as cancer, you'll need to talk with your surgeon about the screening protocol, as well as the surgery that would be recommended...lumpectomy or BMX (considering cancer has struck twice so young) and also consider genetic testing.

Let's hope those decisions do not have to be made, and that this comes back benign.Keep us posted.