IDC not seen on mammogram

gonnabstrong · August 2009

I was recently diagnosed with DCIS and IDC. Only a large cluster of microcalcificaions showed up on the mammogram which lead to a core biopsy. Is it a good sign that no tumor was seen on the mammogram or does the mammogram usually miss this type of tumor? I am awaiting my next surgeon appointment (Sept 9) to set up a node biopsy and the next steps.

I could really use some long time survival stories at this moment Cry

maryannecb · August 2009

Is 4 years good? here i am. And my tumor was not seen on mammo..no calcifications at all.

it is tough in the beginning to feel hopeful...but there is much!

gonnabstrong · August 2009

Yes, 4 years is good! what stage was your's? mine is 2.

Also, does anyone know what this means:

MITOSIS Score 1 Of 3 With 1 Mitosis/10hpf?

RonnieKay · August 2009

Interesting to read this. I found a cyst last July, had a mammo and ultrasound (my annual is every Nov....for the past 20 years!), and it was another simple cyst (very cystie breasts). This May I found another lump in the same area that felt different. I went in immediately, had the mammo and ultrasound - breast cancer! The oncologist feels that it must have been present for 1.5 - 2 years, given the size and type of tumor. I have definitely had the same question...how did it not show up???? Hidden by a cyst??? It makes me sad because I've never missed a mammo and tried to keep up on breast health because I have family history. I'm happy to hear a 4 year survival story....and hope for 40 more years! Blessings to all!

anne26 · August 2009

I have had many cysts in both breasts and have my mmg done yearly, had mmg in oct(neg per hospital, only simple cyst. noticed a lump in jan, felt like previous cyst but different. had repeat mmg and US in feb and core bx of "vague" somthing under cyst. stage 1 grade1 node neg IDC. when they reviewed my previous films the "simple cyst" had been there on previous years film. which means that we missed it for a whole year. I no longer trust mmg . but will get yearly mmg and US. Sorry this happened to anyone else. It makes me angery that they missed this. anne26

elimar86861 · August 2009

Mitosis score - You had a low number of cells dividing when looked at thru' a microscope. (non-technical explanation.) It is one of three factors looked at to determine the Grade of your cancer. Your doctor should be able to tell you what grade your tumor was, and that is an indication of how aggressive the cancer is. (Grade is 1-3, with 1 being least aggressive.)

My 7mm IDC was missed on a screening last Aug. I found my lump the next month myself, and didn't react very quickly partly due to a false sense of security that the screening had come back all-clear. Stupid me!

dreaming · August 2009

My mammogram and ultrasound were negative , I had the biopsy and found I had ductal carcinoma and during the mastectomy [I insisted to have]a lobular invasive tumor was found.

JaniceRH · August 2009

Hi gonnabstrong; my mammo showed a cluster of microcalcifications; the biopsy showed DCIS, the lumpectomy or wide excision biopsy show extensive DCIS grade 3, mastectomy found residual DCIS and IDC. Unfortunately, they didn't do sentinel node mapping, because they didn't expect anything other than DCIS. I have to confess, this threw me for a loop! I mean, if the mammo can find 'grain of sand' size microcalcifications, how does it not see the rest of the stuff?? (Seriously, I don't know the answer to that one!)

Good luck!

gonnabstrong · August 2009

Thank you all for your replies. This is just scary to say the least. I always thought that a mammo was the best detection, but not now. I am very worried about my daughter now, my mother had BC three times and now I do.

What is the earliest someone can start being checked for BC if it runs in the family? I always heard 35 and I went by those rules..first at 35 and another at 40..well look what it got me. Now I wonder if they didn't miss something on my first one when I was 35.

JaniceRH · August 2009

I had my first at 25 for that very reason..but I have to say that after this many years with a little scare here and there, I was getting a little blase' about the whole thing (I'm 54 now). Would I change the early screening, nope would still do it again.

koshka1 · August 2009

Hi,,,

I had a cluster of microcalifcations on my first ever mammo. I was 38.

After 3 biopsies which all showed something different, b9, ADH, DCIS...when I had the excisional biopsy they found 2 tiny tumours of idc...4mm and 1mm. Glad I had the excision done.

Anyway,, I am a year out. Had a lumpectomy, radiation and tamoxifin...and now just waiting the results of a follow up mammo.

In the beginning of all of this,, my surgeon told me that calcifications can be just the tip of the iceburg for diagnosis and that is why they generally dig further...

Also... a Mitosis Score of 1/3 means that the cancer is dividing slowly. The slower the better.

Hugs... Kosh

Leah_S · August 2009

I had a mammo and u/s on the same day. Mammo was clear. u/s found IDC approx. 1.4cm that I had felt & dr had also felt. It also found a benign cyst that was drained immediately, 2 benign spots, and one "vague mass" birad 3/4.

After mast, IDC was found to be 1.6 cm (pretty close), one of the benign spots was ADH, and the "vague mass" was dcis (seperate from the IDC tumor).

Mammos miss about 10% of bc, they tell me.

Leah

pffida · August 2009

My IDC was also not seen on the mammogram and I was VERY faithful in having them done, since my sister died from breast cancer. I found the lump and initially the Physician's Assistant (doctor was out of town for several weeks) dismissed it since I'd just had a mammogram. After a few months, the lump didn't change, so I went back to the doctor and insisted on more tests. It was found on the ultrasound.

At my last checkup, I spoke to the radiologist who said there are a small percentage of cancers that don't appear on the mammogram or ultrasound and are diagnosed via MRI. Go with your gut feeling and insist on the MRI, especially if you can feel a lump.

RHP · August 2009

IDC is a sneaky thing isn't it. Mine could only be seen from one view. That view turned out to be the smaller demention. they thought it was less than 1/2 a cm in all directions and was actually 1 3/4 cm in the direction it couldn't be seen.

As far as long term, I have met so many people on this journey (some I knew just didn't know they had cancer at one time) but 35 years is the top so far and this is before tamoxefin etc.

Hugs and stay strong

Robin

Anonymous · August 2009

My 2.2 cm IDC was not found on mammogram (digital) or ultrasound only with MRI. Good luck and PM if I can help or you would like to talk.

Melissa

2Hands4me · August 2009

I have a palpable lump approx. the size of a pea but slightly more oval shaped. It doesn't show on mammo, US or MRI. MRI did find another ? area, US could only find a shadow, BX of area above shadow done yesterday. Onc is taking my case to the tumor board next Friday to see what's next. I'm thinking I at least need an excisional bx of the palpable area - depending on the bx results of the OTHER area! But I don't really want another general anesthetic so soon, and am wondering if I can talk my surgeon into a local anesthetic! What else could it be that can be felt, but not seen on anything?

Sukiann · August 2009

I had a 2 1/2 cm lump that DID NOT show on the mammogram! A pattern of calcifications showed that were different from the previous year. I could feel a lump (after I was called back for a biopsy I started to really check my breasts) but I thought it was part of my fibrocystic breast condition. Also, I had two breast exams that year. One by my primary care doctor 5 months before the mammogram and one two months before my mammogram! Neither doctor felt the lump. When I went for the biopsy I pointed out the lump to the surgeon and they did an ultrasound. The lump showed up on the ultrasound but it looked like a fibroedema and not a cancerous lump. They went into it with the core needle as well as into the calcifications and unfortunately they were both malignant. I have a mammogram every year since I was 40. This was my 5th one done and they were always fine. Very scary to think that a tumor of this size could be missed.

2Hands4me - I would have them take that tiny lump right out and sent to pathology. Please let us know how you make out.

2Hands4me · September 2009

The tumor board recommends a left mastec. due to so many issues so I'm waiting to hear when I can get a surgeon appointment. The final path report may be negative but witout surgery it would mean multiple tests and bx and still maybe missing something!

gonnabstrong · September 2009

2Hands4me, I wish you the best.

I recently returned home from my first BC surgeon appointment. They found more calcifications on my mammogram and had to have another core biopsy. The new mass of calcifiactions is about 5cm from the original mass and has a line of calcifications connecting the two. I am scheduled for a lumpectomy this friday and still no lump has ever been seen.

patsfan · September 2009

Just got my pathology report in my hands today. I'm 2 weeks post mx with recon, and completed chemo on Jul 9. My path report says "DCIS is present in one block. 2 foci of microinvasive carcinoma are present in association with DCIS." Does this mean in addition to the IDC that I also had another spot of DCIS or is DCIS always present when one is dx with IDC?

Luah · September 2009

I discovered a lump (2.6 cm.) just 10 months after a clean routine mammogram (and CBE). The diagnostic mammogram did not show this mass (only a "convex margin" along the edge of "an area of dense parenchyma which has been present for some time") nor did it show another mass nearby that is 1.6 cm. Diag mammo concluded "not characteristic of breast cancer," Bi-RADS 0, follow-up required on abnormality. Both masses later showed on ultrasound.

Sukiann · September 2009

Isn't this sooooo scary!! Is ultrasound very expensive so that it isn't routinely done?

seaotter · September 2009

My tumor did not show up on mamo either. One dr told me it had been there 2-3 yrs. I got a mamo every year. I will never have one again. During every mamo I got I would think, this can not be good for the girls! Thermography, ultra sound or MRI is the only way to go. I read somewhere that if you already have a tumor the mamo can squish it and send the cancer elsewhere like the lymph nodes!!!!!! If only these male drs would have to put their little peckers on that cold steel and get it squished then they would not insist on us having them!!!!!!

Grakenmom · September 2009

Hi gonnaBstrong - my 4mm lesion showed on ultrasound - but not on mammo (same day). The lesion "cast a shadow" on u/s, so apparently it was more "solid" than my usual cysts. Ultrasound-guided biopsy showed IDC. Lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy showed on path report as IDC - 1.2 cm, DCIS, Pleiomorphic LCIS, and ALH. Yes, apparently mammos miss a lot, altho PLCIS and ALH cells are only seen under microscope - apparently nothing else catches them.

Hope your appt went well - best to you,

Erika

Curlylocks · September 2009

I am also 4 years out of diagnosis. My tumour was 4cm and did not show up on my first baseline mamogram at age 40, 13 months later I found the lump myself at age 41.

Dense breasts in younger women make these things hard to find.

An ultrasound is part of my regular screening now along with the mamogram.

It does get easier as time goes back, all the best to you during this journey.

Michele

KerryMac · September 2009

Mine didn't show up as cancer on ultrasound, I was breast feeding, they said it was milk....NO screening tool is 100%, we are wrong in thinking they are.

gonnabstrong · September 2009

I finally had my surgery this past Friday. Was supposed to go in for a lumpectomy but ended up haveing a mastectomy on the left side. The IDC had invaded all my milk ducts so there was no saving it.

I wasn't able to have immediate recon. That won't come until I finish with chemo.

SoCalLisa · September 2009

Hi there..just wanted to say, I had two IDC tumors that did not show up on mammos

that was almost nine years ago now..I did have a lumpectomy then a Mastectomy and chemo..

KEW · September 2009

I had my yearly mammo and a few months later I found a lump, two actually measuring 2.6 cm together, and my BLM path report also showed DCIS which didn't show up in my diagnostic mammo (after I found the lump) I, too had the same mitosis score on my report, it is a good thing, means things are slow growing. So, how did I end up with two tumors? About four years ago I had a questionable mammo they did a cone depression and said all was well. It has been nagging me and I've ordered all my old mammo reports and if it was the same breast/same place (I can't remember which breast it was), I'm going to pitch a fit, and get all my old films read. I just can't believe that this , slow growing set of tumors appeared out of nowhere. I don't know if it really matters, but it does to me for some reason.

Karen

samiam40 · September 2009

My 2.6 cm IDC did not show up on either mammogram or ultrasound. Finally we decided to do an MRI because the area--which we thought was scar tissue from a prior lump removal--felt a little different this time. Bingo. The MRI--two weeks after a clean mammo and u/s--came back BIRADS 5. So, for me, apparantly, all those mammograms I'd been getting every year were useless.

Insurance companies (and Komen, which continues to emphasize mammograms) need to understand that MRIs are crucial for young women who are at high risk.

IDC not seen on mammogram

Comments

Categories