Asymmetrical density and distortion on mammo

Shobs

Hi there

I'm 44 years old, went for my first mammogram ever and was told to come back for an ultrasound. They found Large asymmetrical density on right breast and distortion. I don't feel a lump on my breast. I do have some rash on my chest area, been there a few weeks now.

Should I be prepared for the worst? What are the percentages of people with this kinda mammogram results turning into cancer?

Pls level with me, someone. I am really not ready for this 😢

Beesie

Callbacks after a first mammogram are quite common. With no previous imaging, the Radiologist does not know what is 'normal' for your breast tissue.

Another common reason for callbacks - particularly I think in cases where imaging shows distortion or asymmetrical differences (i.e. the image looks different for one breast vs. the other) - is simply the way that your breast has been squeezed in the mammo machine, which could lead to folds in the tissue or some unevenness that causes the appearance of distortion.

In most of these cases, after an ultrasound and sometimes a diagnostic mammogram (a mammo that looks more closely at the specific area of concern), everything is cleared up and you are sent on your way. Even if that isn't the case and a biopsy is recommended, that doesn't mean that a diagnosis of cancer is likely. The rule of thumb for Radiologists is that anything that they assess to have a 2% or greater chance of being cancer should be biopsied. Obviously, based on that, most biopsies turn out to be benign.

This chart is old so the numbers might have changed a bit over the years as diagnostics have improved, but it is still pretty much correct:

According to this chart, only 5% of callbacks result in a diagnosis of breast cancer. I would guess that for callbacks after a first mammogram, the % is substantially lower.

YayHorseys

I totally agree with Beesie. First mammo callbacks are very common. I just got called back last week for ‘Perceived architectural distortion and asymmetry possible' got more magnified shots then an ultrasound, was given the all clear a few days later.