breast density and mammogram findings
Comments
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What treatment did you receive? I am curious as I had 7x4 LCIS but .7mm ILC in the middle of it when my breast was removed.
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I had mammos every year from the age of 40. They always used my prior ones for comparison. Still never found my tumor at age 44. And these were digital, diagnostic mammos. Not "screening" mammos (how happy I was to always read " congratulations, no signs of cancer".)
If someone feels a lump and they have dense breasts, I advise getting an ultrasound. I don't know about MRI's, because I don't know if they are impacted by tissue density. Keep in mind most lumps are not malignant - but dense breasts cannot rely on a mammogram.
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bump
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I have an update to my Oct. 19 post, in which I mentioned I was waiting to see if my insurance was going to cover the screening MRI I had earlier this month.
Good news: I went on line and checked my claims record, and the claim for the MRI was paid this week! The "submitted charge" was around $1,500; the eligible charge was less than $700 IIRC. There was a discount because the provider was "in-network".
I think my surgeon will be pleased, too. She has been reluctant to request an MRI for me, because she doubted it would be covered.
otter
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Woo-hoo otter! Way to go!
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My surgeon said my MRI wouldn't be covered, either. I insisted she try. It was approved no problem. We really need to be aggressive about our tests.
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I had small, dense breasts and 2 mammograms missed it - including three days before the biopsy. it was a 3-cm, aggressive tumor. As my oncologist and all the honest ones say, mammograms aren't reliable for a lot of people. You should get at least an ultrasound with digital mammogram if you have lumpy or dense breasts (I'm not sure about small ones - but my gynecologist inferred small would be part of why my mamogrrams missed it). Please don't be fooled into thinking digital mammography is that much better - it isn't - at least not with dense breasts. All I"ve read is that MRI is the way to go if you've had breast cancer or ideally if you're anyone who fits the MO for hard to find lumps.
I wanted to ask you all if you would check out my website www.1UpOnCancer.com? I'ts mainly upbeat, informational. I got tired of reading the scary stuff (Maybe hard to believe the way I rant in this posting, but really, I was ready to relax when I launched the site!) Have a great 2011!
Rachel
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Many of us had small breasts and had digital mammograms every year which showed nothing. If you have dense breasts they cannot see anything. I felt my lump for years before they did the MRI which found my 2 cm tumor.I also was seeing the best breast surgeon in the state and he did not order the MRI. Paddle your own canoe. Please have the MRI if you have dense breasts even if you have to pay for it yourself. I would have gladly paid for the MRI to have found my tumor earlier.
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I had bc in 2001, got off tamoxifen and one year later, had a new primary.
I have extremely big boobs, very dense. All mammos were completely clear. My oncologist insisted I get an MRI, he wrote the insurance company a letter and they cleared it.
MRI found a 1.5 cm completely missed by mammos.
Beg, borrow, steal, write letters, set up a payment plan, got a prophylactic mtxmy, but get an MRI!!!!!!!!
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bump - to hide sales pitch
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I just know that mammograms are not at all accurate for dense breasts. They miss tumors half the time. I had to digital mammograms that missed my tumor. Mammogram and sonogram together are more likely to catch a problem.MRI is the best. I hope you insisted on having more than mammo if you felt something. We have to look out for ourselves! Do you like your doc and feel like you can ask him or more for greater follow up to put you at ease! I think my doc would automatically order a sonnogram if mammogram coudn't rule out a problem and there was a lump. I have an awesome doc.
Anyone reading this post, if you get a chance, would you check out my website 1UpOnCancer? lots of information and upbeat stories for us survivors.
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I too have dense breast and a history of ADH. As my MO says I have complicated breast. Just finished rads and my MO says my follow up will be mammo and MRI once a year alternating every six months. My tumor did not show on my mammo either and have had yearly mammos for the last 13 years due to ADH removal 13 years ago. Because I probably still have ADH I am still at high risk for a new cancer. Probably never get recurrance form the one I just treated. If I had known all this in Sept I think I would have had a MX. I love the things we find out later.
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Are you kidding me leah_s!!!! IT MOST CERTIANLY WAS YOUR DENSE BREAST TISSUE!!
AGE SIZE DOES NOT MATTER. ONLY WAY TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE DENSE BREASTS IS WHEN THE RADIOLIGST REPORT TELLS YOU SO. YOU MUST ASK FOR YOUR REPORT. NOT A LETTER FROM YOUR DOC. IT IS NOT THE SAME THING
DENSE BREASTS CANNOT BE READ BY A MAMMO. YOU MUST HAVE OTHER SCREENING!! CHECK OUT AREYOUDENSE.ORG!!!
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Did you ladies read up on the 3D mammogram (posted by breastcancer.org) I still have to look at it, but not sure how much difference it's going to make for dense breasts.
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Have not read it guess I need to look it up.
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I, too, have dense breasts - last year's mammography report even flat out states, "The breast tissue is heterogeneously dense. This may lower the sensitivity of mammography." I talked with my BS and requested annual MRIs instead of mammograms. To my happy surprise, she readily agreed, and talked with my insurance company and the radiology dept. to okay it with everyone. She warned me that MRIs have a high false positive rate, so I'd have to be willing to put up with that and get a follow-up mammo and/or ultrasound, maybe even a biopsy, if the MRI finds something suspicious. I agreed... and then my first breast MRI post-treatment was clear/normal, yay!!
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