4 Breast Biopsies! WTH?

jennsmithAZ

I am new here and posted this question on another board and there doesn't seem to be much activity, hoping someone can help!

I just went in last Tuesday for a Diagnostic Mammogram and Bilateral Ultrasound. The technicians performed both assessments. The radiologist reviewed them and did the ultrasound again. Friday I returned for 4, yes 4 biopsies! 2 from the left breast, 1 from the right and they biopsied a lymph node under my right arm. My results will come back no later than Wednesday. My question is, is this typical? Is having 4 biopsies excessive? As kind as the attending professionals were, I could definitely sense concern. Thoughts??

2019whatayear

it’s not typical - but you can’t read too much in that statement either. The biopsies only mean they saw some things and weren’t sure what it was. Def could all be benign stuff.

sasamat

That sounds very stressful! Like going 0 to 60 in 3 to 4 days! I am very new around here, but am having similar amount of various biopsies (different modalities, both breast and lymph node), spread out over 4 months, which is also a challenge in a different way. Not sure which is worse? It's good that the medical pros are doing their job and following up on things promptly. There's no downside to getting more definitive information, sooner, but it certainly requires a lot of quick mental adjustment on your part. Wishing you the best.

MelissaDallas

jennsmithAZ,

Sorry you find yourself here. Yes, there is little activity here at night -additionally, things tend to be pretty quiet around holidays.

So, what prompted your diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound? How old are you? Was this follow up from a first screening mammogram, where there were no old prior imaging studies to compare to, or were these new findings after previous annual mammograms? If you can access your radiology reports, posting that information here would help people here clarify things.

If there were no old studies to look at to determine stability over time, having two spots in one breast and one in the other done, plus a lymph node done is really not all that unusual. A lot of women have “busy breasts” with lots of things like cysts and multiple (benign) fibroadenomas, etc. Anything estimated to have even a 3% chance of being cancer is recommended for biopsy, so most biopsies are benign Lymph nodes swell for all kind of reasons that aren’t cancer. This is all to say, all this could be just confirming things as being benign and your “normal for you” baseline going forward. Really impossible to guess without knowing what the radiology report says about the various findings. What did the radiologist tell you?

If these were all completely new findings after a “clean” a mammogram last year, it is harder to say. Is this a new facility or doctor for you? Of course, having bilateral breast cancer would be more unusual.

Jellybean646

jennsmithAZ,

Sorry you are going through this. For what it's worth, I once had three FNA biopsies at one time. Fortunately, they all turned out to be benign. I've also had two excisional biopsies, although not at the same time. And, as of last count, I have 8 or 9 lumps that we're monitoring every 6 months, and a 10th lump that I'm having core needle biopsied on Wednesday. This one is pretty worrisome so fingers-crossed luck is still on my side. I tell you this so you know you are not alone. Some of us are lumpier than others....fibroadenomas tend to travel in packs. I know it's scary. I try to take comfort that the masses were caught and that I'm getting them diagnosed. It gives me a feeling of control over something I have no control over.

LivinLife

I have not experienced what you describe. At the same time the MRI uncovered so much stuff that had I not undergone mastectomy on that side I easily could have been in your shoes. My surgeon's PA said it would have been call back after call back -if they see more than one area of concern then it could lead to more biopsies for a given occasion....