Outcome of ADH Slides retested? Still ADH or DCIS?

This older paper  (1999) gives some idea how often pathologists disagree about several breast conditions. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10071228  Since DCIS and ADH are treated differently, if you have any doubts, I think it is in your best interests to get a 2nd opinion.

My experience was similar to Tara's - only i knew what the reports said, but i didn't want to think about it. The original finding was: suspicious calcs in 2 areas (or 1 large area), other scattered calcs as well. The double needle/core biopsy said ADH and DCIS. The excisional biopsy, again double, showed IDC and DCIS at one site, DCIS at the other.

The 2nd opinion pointed out that there were more calcs in other areas, and recommended mx. I demurred, and they said - at least get an MRI to see what else is going on. The MRI was clear, so i accepted the double biopsy with its nice clear margins as a lumpectomy, and did rads.

The next year, my mammo was digital instead of film, and showed more detail on those other calcs: suspicious now, and 7 cm, from nipple to near chest wall. The core biopsy showed ADH and typical hyperplasia, nothing more. The 2nd opinion on the slides was the same, and my onc thought i should just watch-and-wait, but i went to Mayo and they said mx. Which i did.

So i would say: for the 2nd opinion, get the mammo re-evaluated as well, in case there is more going on in the breast. And have a digital if the original was film.

On MRIs -- my onc told me that they are best for seeing increased angiogenesis (a mark of invasiveness), while mammos are best for calcs. Which is why my MRI was clear.

Of course it is scary.  You would be In DeNile if you weren't. Holding out our hand to you.

I got a second opinion and got another diagnosis.  I was diagnosed with intermediate DCIS by a well respected hospital in NYC but went to another major hospital in NYC and was diagnosed with ADH instead.  The second hospital is a major cancer hospital, knew about the first diagnosis, and still gave me a diagnosis of ADH after reading the same exact slides that the first hospital read.  My surgeon said that it is controversial but wants to do surgical biopsies before sending out the slides to other hospitals.  I just had surgery as if I had DCIS (wider margin than ADH) but I'm ok with that.  I"m waiting for more pathology results before getting more opinions.

I think it's smart to get another opinion particularly they are supposely so difficult to tell apart.