Mammography results after lumpectomy and 6 month follow up.

Q-Tee

I am 67 years old, and last January I was diagnosed with Stage 1, low grade cancer on my right breast. My tumor was very tiny and barely visible. I had a lumpectomy followed by 4 weeks of radiation. No chemo was recommended.

Yesterday, I went for my 6 month follow up, and this is what the report said.

BI-RADS 3, probably benign finding, short interval follow-up suggested.IMPRESSION: New lumpectomy changes in right breast. Follow-up right mammogram in 6 months is recommended.FINDINGS: Breasts are composed of scattered fibroglandular densities. In the right breast there are new lumpectomy changes in the posterior lateral region. In the left breast, there are stable oval nodules with punctate calcifications. No suspicious findings are seen currently.

I was concerned, but my surgeon told me that I would have to return every 6 months for 3 years so that they could monitor any changes. I The results of your recent lab tests are within normal limits.

Are changes in the breast common after lumpectomy?

JoTheGreek

Yes, hun it's common.  I also had my lumpectomy beg. July and my follow up ultrasound 3 weeks ago and the radiologist mentioned in her report the changes after my lumpectomy.  I'm not native English speaker and it's difficult to translate medical terms so I hope it makes sense that she found "hypoechoic heterogeneous changes, probably due to the lumpectomy" and "there is some thickening of the skin in the spot of the incision, also post-operative".  Your birads score is very good news and from what I understood we'll be closely monitored from now on for the next couple of years and if all goes well at some point we'll return to our annual screening mode.  Enjoy the good news!