MRIs After Treatment

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AlohaGirl
AlohaGirl Member Posts: 213
edited June 2014 in DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)

I had lumpectomy and rads last spring and had my first post-surgery mammogram in January.  It came back clean but my medical oncologist recommended that I get an MRI later this year.  I spoke to a radiologist friend who seconded that advice, but the radiation oncologist I met with last week for follow up implied that he thought the MRI was a waste of money/time because of the high likelihood of false positives.  I recognize that there are a lot of false positives with MRI, but my thinking right now is that it only takes one real positive to have made the MRIs worthwhile.  I was curious whether others who had lumpectomy for DCIS are advised to have periodic MRIs or if this practice is unusual.  In any event, I plan to have the MRI this year but if it is atypical to have them may go to every other year or something after this.  Thanks!

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  • Jelson
    Jelson Member Posts: 1,535
    edited February 2010

    Hi AlohaGirl,

    coincidentally, I got a call today from the radiologist's office to say that my insurance approved an mri and that I should schedule it for May as planned! I had my first MRI after my lumpectomy/before starting radiation. My monitoring plan has me getting an annual mammogram alternating with an annual MRI - so I will be looked at every 6 months.It is my impression that there are many other women following the same protocol.  The radiologist felt the MRI was esp important because my DCIS did not show up on mammography - I didn't have calcifications.I don't know how long this will go on, but that is the plan for now.

    Julie E

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  • AlohaGirl
    AlohaGirl Member Posts: 213
    edited February 2010

    Sounds like we are on the same plan.  Thanks, Julie!  And good luck with your MRI!

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  • Alli
    Alli Member Posts: 119
    edited February 2010

    I am also alernating mammo and mri..  At least I will have some x ray screening every 6 mo.  My last 2 mri's did lead to biopsy-both benign.  Mri does have  a lot of false positives but I also know it picks up the earliest of cancers, so it's worth it to me.

    Alli

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  • AlohaGirl
    AlohaGirl Member Posts: 213
    edited March 2010

    Thanks, Alli!  I'm with you that I'd rather have to deal with the stress of a false positive from time to time than miss the one real positive that would have shown up had I had the MRI.

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