just diagnosed MRI tomorrow

Toyamjj

Hello,

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself but I'm having the Breast mri tomorrow morning, how will they be able to tell from just that that it hasn't spread to other body parts outside of the breasts? Was optimistic that because I have yearly mammograms and the mass is 2 centimeters big that I may have caught it early. But what if its cancer from somewhere else thats spread to the breast instead of vice versa. Any one out there to help ease my my scary fears... Thanks!

bella2013

Toy, that’s a complicated question. I am assuming that if you are having your breast MRI then you had the biopsy and have some info about your tumor. Just doing a search on other cancers that are hormone receptors brought up uterine and ovarian cancer.

The breast MRI is the best diagnostic tool to see if there are additional tumors in your diseased breasts that might not have been detected yet. Sometimes tumors can hide. The breast MRI will also determine if there is anything suspicious in your other breast. The breast MRI is not a whole body MRI. It is specific to the breast.

It gives your BS, MO, and RO the best information to determine your treatment plan...i.e., lumpectomy with chemo and rads or mastectomy.

Take a deep breath...try not to focus on things that are unknown...you have a good team and they will guide you to the best possible treatment. You have many years ahead where you will battle the dark fears of a recurrence. Take this one day at a time. You will feel better when the tumor has been removed

Salamandra

This is my lay understanding, I hope it helps and that someone corrects anything that's off.

Generally, the doctors assume that if you're not having symptoms elsewhere, then the cancer they are treating is only in your breast. Especially if it has not spread at least as far as the lymph nodes.

Basically, you're in a position that the doctors do not suspect active metastatic cancer, and are not looking for it. That's a good thing!

They trust that most likely they have identified all the cancer to be treated, and that they will be able to pick up based on future symptoms if there is cause to look for metastasis in the future, and that there is nothing different they could/would do for you medically right this second even if scans did pick up something.

On the other hand, the breast MRI could lead to them doing something differently *now*, so they are doing it now. For example, they might recommend a mastectomy or a double mastectomy, instead of a lumpectomy or single one; they might do a lumpectomy for a larger area; they might do a biopsy of a different area while they are in there anyway; they might be more suspicious of lymph nodes; etc.

Medical understanding of the metastasis process is changing, so now doctors think that it's actually possible that certain cancer cells *do* leave the breast early and find hiding spots in other parts of the body where they can lie dormant for years or forever. Right now, we don't have great ways of finding those cells, and no special ways of neutralizing them even if they were found. That is a pretty active area of research that I hope they will make progress on. One of the things they think that ongoing hormonal treatment, like tamoxifen for ER+ cancer, does, is to help keep dormant cells anywhere in the body dormant.

I agree with Bella2013. One of the hardest things of wrapping my head around this whole cancer thing is that it is actually a long process. I wanted to deal with everything at once and get it over with, but it's not like that. You are constantly waiting. Waiting for the mammogram, waiting for the biopsy, waiting for the pathology, waiting for the surgery, waiting for the results, waiting for the oncotype, waiting for the appointment, waiting for the scan, etc. And it all feels so incredibly urgent to US, but most of it, most of the time, is not that medically urgent. So now, it's not considered medically urgent at all to have a full body scan for possible metastasis, because the overwhelming likelihood is that it's not there, and there will be plenty of time to scan later if and when it's indicated and could have an impact on treatment.

I'm sorry about your diagnosis, and I'm glad you're on the Boards. Hang in there! It's a SLOG.

Toyamjj

Thank you both for such detailed information, it helped me calm down a bit. Think I will hit the gym and get a good workout in while I still can, sadly I just finished crying over the realization of how nasty things are about to get for me, possible chemo, radiation, surgeries wow! All the women who have already gone through are so brave, hoping I can be the same way.

bella2013

Toy, Breast Cancer is a huge disruption in our lives...but it is doable...many of us have walked this path...at the time of diagnosis we were all overwhelmed and stricken with fear. We go through a period of shock and denial. What you are feeling and experiencing is normal. After you get the results of the MRI, you will have a clearer picture of your treatment plan.

If you have a biopsy report you might consider posting the results. If you press MENU at the top of this page, go to Settings. It will give you the opportunity to fill in your diagnosis. Please set them to Public. Only your BCO members will be able to see your cancer stats. It really does help other people respond to you appropriately based on your tumor stats.

You can do this! I am not going to say, “you got this!” None of us “got this”. What I am saying is that it is doable.

Take a Valium or a Xanax before your MRI. It will take the edge off and might even give you an opportunity to nap during the MRI.

Blessings,

Barbara