MRIs Post-Radiation

Hey Ladies,

I had the same question about MRI follow up and the medical oncologist told me that MRI shows too much and unnecessary biopsies are done because of how much they show. I'm due for a mammogram in a few weeks, the first since my surgery and MammoSite Radiation Therapy and I'm NOT looking forward to it. The last thing I want is to have my poor beat up breast compressed on that machine. I'm hoping I can ask for them to do an ultrasound until I feel more comfortable about the mammogram procedure. Apparently MRI is out of the question for me too. I too have dense breast tissue and mammograms were always difficult for me and difficult for the radiologist to read...digital mammography has helped there, but the procedure is still painful and of course there's the radiation to consider. Not sure what's going to happen in these next weeks. Good luck to you and send some my way too.

I'm 31 years old, and 10 months ago, I had my breast radiated 33 times.  When it came time to schedule my annual mammogram, I argued that A) my breasts are too dense for mammography to be effective, and I'm not willing to subject myself to the radiation of annual mammograms when I'm so young.  Because of A), the radiologists have a tendency to take MULTIPLE films at each mammogram session, which is a catch-22 IMO - they have to repeat the mammograms because my breasts are too dense to see anything, but the more they repeat the mammograms, the more likely it is there will eventually be cancer!  Radiation is a carcinogen that I avoid whenever I can.  I avoid airplanes, too.

SO, anyway, I have an awesome surgeon who offered me annual MRIs instead of mammograms.  She did warn me that there's a high rate of false positives with MRIs, and I agreed that if the MRI finds something, I'll get a follow-up mammogram and/or ultrasound as necessary.  Having annual MRIs instead of mammograms may even lead to unnecessary biopsies, but it's a risk that I, personally, am willing to take.  Maybe it's weird of me, but I feel like a biopsy is a "safer" procedure than a mammogram for me.  (I'm REALLY scared of radiaton, after having already had so much of it!)

I just finished rads yesterday and when I left they handed me my schedule for my 3 month post rads mammo and follow up with RO.  I laughed about getting this done because my tumor was found with an MRI not my annual mammo.  Have had them for 13 years but I have very dense breast tissue and the mammo's are hard to read.  I am not really worried about this mammo because after this I will go back to my BS who said she is going to alternate mammo's and MRI's on me.  I figure after all the radiation I received the MRI can't possible hurt me any further and I don't trust mammo's by themselves.

Hello all,

I'm four years out from lumpectomy and radiation. My doctors have me due a Mammogram once a year and a MRI once a year. So, my Mammo is in February and The MRI is in August.