Gentle Reminder about Dense Breasts

Options
Anonymous
Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
edited June 2014 in High Risk for Breast Cancer

This is a gentle reminder to all women who have dense breasts. Please get an MRI along with your ultrasound and mammogram.  Many of us with breast cancer had tumors that were large when found because mammograms don't work on dense breast tissue.

Also, anyone needing someone to talk to about IDC, dense breasts or MRIs.  Send me a PM.  I can call you if you would like to have someone to talk to. 

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • alligans
    alligans Member Posts: 175
    edited July 2010

    I have a question about dense breast tissue.  I'm 33 and had my first mammogram when I was 32.  The initial mammogram didn't discuss density and my benign tumor didn't show up.  The post biopsy mammogram (report was written by a different radiologist) mentioned that my left breast was heterogeneously dense.  Is this a red flag for someone my age.  I keep seeing that dense tissue is normal in women under 40 but then I also keep seeing that dense tissue is a red flag. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • brady0819
    brady0819 Member Posts: 64
    edited July 2010

    I am also worried, now. I am 38.  Had baseline mammo and ultrasound last Sept.  Had 2 biopsies on suspicous finding.  Both came back benign....normal breast tissue.  Follow up mammo 6 months later. Birad 1 - Benign.

    But, both mammos read heterogeneously dense breasts. Should I be worried?  I read somewhere that over 50% of pre-menoposaul women have dense breasts.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited July 2010

    "Heterogeneously dense" is not the highest density category (and therefore isn't the highest risk)but with that level of density, mammos may be less somewhat effective.  Have you had digital mammos? They are better at "seeing" through dense breasts than film mammography so if you've had digital mammos, you can feel more confident in the results.  Sill, you may want to ask about MRIs as well. 

    By the way, BIRADs 1 is as good as it gets.  I have "extremely dense" breasts with lots of fibrocystic conditions.  I don't think I've ever had a BIRADs 1 mammo in my life - my good mammos and MRIs are always BIRADs 2 (meaning that something was seen but there is nothing that appears to be cancerous or at risk of being cancer). 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • karen_in_nj
    karen_in_nj Member Posts: 59
    edited July 2010

    It would be nice if it were that simple as just making the request for the MRI and getting it. I have a history of dense breasts, ILC wasn't found until the tumor was 6cm. My insurance will NOT pay for an MRI on my other breast for monitoring. They just won't do it.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Beanius
    Beanius Member Posts: 1,697
    edited July 2010

    I'm 52 and have a family history of BC but did not test positive for any gene mutations. For years I was getting mamos and the reports said my breasts were dense and they couldn't see anything. I found my 1.1 cm IDC by self-exam. Then when I got to a cancer center, the specialized radiologist was able to see calcifications in my old mamo films that were of concern but which the general radiologist had not seen. I wish with my family history and history of dense breasts that I had been getting mamos at a specialized cancer center, where they are highly tuned to look for early signs of problems. My cancer may have been caught before it went to my lymph nodes, or maybe before it became cancer. Going forward I am doing high risk screening which will definitely be done at the cancer center (MRI, US and mamos).

    This is an excellent reminder - thank you Aug24!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories