How does this seem to you?

I was diagnosed with ILC 2.5 years ago.  The lobular cancer mimics natural breast tissue and is usually very difficult to find until it has grown well beyond the size of yours--and mine.  Mammograms don't detect it--generally--that's a given, and MRIs are a good way to go.  Sounds to me like your bcs is right on target with her plan.  My ILC was found quite by accident--I was being prepped for a biopsy of an area of interest that turned out to be non-cancerous, and the ultrasound tech found another area that hadn't shown up on the 2 mammos.  That was the ILC.  I am convinced there were angels with me, and her, that day.  Because I have an implanted defibrillator, MRIs are out of the question, as  was radiation.  I chose the bilateral mx and I have never regretted my decision.  I think your prognosis is great, and you are in good hands with your doctor.  Good luck to you, and do keep me posted on your progress:). 

I had a 2.1 cm tumor at 11 o'clock on the left breast - ER/PR positive, Her2neu negative. Nothing else seen on an MRI, so I had lumpectomy, radiation, and have been taking Tamoxifen. So far, so good. I do have digital mammograms as follow-up - the images are amazing, the technicians are amazing, and I'm good with it. My oncologist believes that MRI's tend to result in lots of benign things "lighting up," leading to unnecessary biopsies. I have no clue if my tumor would have been visible with mammography because the non-digital equipment at the facility I was going to could not capture my tumor in its field. The current digital images I'm having include portions of chest muscle. Painfully thorough, but that's a good thing.

Even with the singular known tumor, it appeared to many (but not all) of the medical people I spoke with to be reasonable to choose anything from a lumpectomy to a bilateral. Pay attention to what YOU want. I would have had radiation even with a mastectomy or two due to the location of my tumor (great margins not possible because it was so high up). It was nice to just get through the smaller surgery and then radiation and the fun side effects of Tamoxifen without worrying about reconstruction. You can always take off more - you can't put anything back.

How did you find this area of concern that was then biopsied? I found mine myself - gynecologist thought it was a rib but suggested diagnostic mammogram. As I said, they couldn't image the area due to the limitations of the machine, so I had a sonogram, where it showed up as a suspicous Birads4 which required a biopsy...

Apparently, 11 o'clock on the left breast (on the inner, upper portion) is sort of unusual, but not in any bad way, from what I've learned. It's just that tumors most often form in other areas of the breast.

Good luck to you! May your MRI reveal nothing of interest!

Coleen

Have you looked at Dr. Susan Love's "The Breast Book"? Excellent and detailed descriptions of different surgery and treatment options. I found it to be very helpful in evaluating what to do. That's awesome that they found such a small tumor. I'm a BIG fan of digital mammogram technology!

AnkleEye

My MRI showed absolutely nothing, too.  It didn't even show my existing 1.5 cm tumor. Even MRI's aren't 100%, I think the studies say they pick up tumors 83% of the time.  Not very reassuring. I had a lumpectomy, chemo, radiation and am taking Tamoxifen. I'm a little over 1 year since diagnosis and at my 1st follow-up mammo and ultrasound the radiologist suggested alternating mammo's with MRI's every 6 months.  I have very dense breast tissue.

Hi all,

Just thought I'd share some info regarding MRIs. Following mammo and ultrasound, I had MRIs of both breasts with contrast, since biopsies confirmed BC.

I had two areas that on MRI bumped up mass size to 2.3 and noted only the clip left in a smaller suspicious area found when having ultrasound guided needle biopsies.

Unfortunately, the first Path report from biopsies turned out to be incorrect, (Infiltrating Carcinoma Favor Lobular for larger mass and IDC for smaller mass. Subsequently went to Yale which reread the biopsy slides and said both areas were EXACTLY the same and were ILC!

At that point I switched surgeons and hospitals (1st surgeon had recommended lumpectomy with radiation or UMX without rads.....my call she said)

Back to MRI, 2nd surgeon read my MRI written report and viewed actual MRI I brought on disk (Disks have to be Dicom or Dicom compatible). She said the MRI was virtually worthless bc the MRI machine was older (a 3) and didn't have the best resolution (a 5). I asked if we should repeat it but she said insurance would only pay for it 1X annually.

Long story short, I ended up having a UMX with Diep reconstruction the same day, and when she got into OR mass ended up being 6 cm X 2.2 cm!

Knowing what I now know, about MRI equipment and the reality of what they found, I'm second guessing and wondering if higher resolution would have shown more and maybe I should have had a BMX.

Ladies, please make sure your MRI is being done on the latest and the greatest since it might make a difference as to your course of treatment. 

I'm getting a 3rd med onco consult (at Memorial Sloan Kettering this week) but will have to undergo chemo, and possibly rads too, or so I've been told be 1st 2 med onco consults.

Geez I thought having a MX meant no rads! 

MX can mean no rads if the tumor was located toward the center of your breast and away from the chest wall. If even a mastectomy doesn't give good margins, you're still in for radiation. I would've had radiation no matter what, as my tumor was way up high at 11 o'clock on my breast and there were no good margins to be had - there was nothing up there but chest muscle, tumor, and skin...

Never heard that about MRI's - that there's variance in machines. Greeeeeeeeat. Something else to worry about...