How could I go for yearly mammos and end up with a 6.5cm tumour?

Mammo failed me here as well.  Clear in April, two 4cm tumors in September.  Mine were grade 3, and I have very dense breasts, so it is likely they were there, small, and not detectable. 

What bothers me is that when I got my "all clear" in April, it basically said just that.  But when I got the actual report in September, it clearly stated that due to dense breast tissue, self exam should be reinforced to the patient.  No one ever said a word about that to me.  I did do self exams, but only every few months as I had no history in my family.

This is why I'm getting a BMX.  With TN and dense breasts, I will never trust mammos again.

 I found my lump in the shower....it was big enough that you could also just see it pushing up the skin at 11 o'clock.  They gave me FOUR mammos because it was obvious it was there with the naked eye...and none of them showed a thing.

The US though, picked it up very clear.

The survivor's group I attend (right now it sits at about 20 members) ...mammo showed them all clear but one...

I got that "all clear" notice after I had to have a mammo AFTER MY BILATERAL MASTECTOMY!!! Can you friggin' believe it!???!? I had two masses we needed to check out but the department demanded that before ultrasound that I get a mammo. I TOLD them I didn't have breasts to mammo, but they insisted! When I dropped my gown the tech's jaw dropped. Told you so! They got about 1/2 " under the panel and that was "all clear" see you in 2 years. TWO years? I'm going to be 53 in May and I've already had cancer!!!!

I refused to let them do my left (cancer) side due to LE. They said "Oh, we do LE patients all the time!" I said, probably LE because of the mammogram! But not THIS patient. It was noted in the paperwork to my doc that I "refused". He agreed! He had sent me for ultrasound!

Because mammos are pretty useless on dense breasts.   I went every year, too.   Had I not noticed a dimpling on the skin, mine would have gone unnoticed, too.

Same here,Ladies, mammograms and sonos failed me for years.  Good mammo in May and Nov. Stage 3.  Tumor 6cm sticking right out of me and not pick up. Very dense breast.  MRI pick it up but How long was it growing?  I tell women all the time if they have dense breast insist on a MRI.  Mammos give us false hope.  So I can understand why we are angry.  Betty

I feel you're frustration and anger.  I too had a mammo 1year ago... actually had to go back for repeat films. Came back normal and recommeded repeat in a year.  A few days later I got the letter about dense breasts.  Went to GYN for annual in Sept. and nothing noted on exam.  Felt a lump in the right side in Nov., nothing on left and then on routine mammo in Nov, there it was in the left breast.(right breast just a superficial cyst)  How could we all have missed my 2 cm mass? (Stage 2 grade 3 with node involvelment)  I opted for a single MX on left but am concerned about how to monitor the right.  Right now just trying to stay strong and forge ahead with this latest challenge.

I didn't have dense breasts and mammo, MRI and us failed me. Plus I was going for physicals every 3 months because of previous BC and brca2. By the time it was found it was 2.2 cm and in 4 lymph nodes. This was my 2nd BC and I had gone for yearly mammos and 3 x yearly for physicals. Yup, they failed me too and I am still angry

Cat123,  I'm another person who mammogram/shammograms utterly failed.It seems like most of us here have a bad story about trusting mammograms. I am going to try to bump an old list of women who were diagnosed despite clear mammograms.

When I was 19, I was sent for a mammogram for something suspicious and nothing was found.  But I remember the radiologist telling me that if I ever got breast cancer they would have a very difficult time finding it.  I had very fibrocystic and dense tissue.  22 years later, 7 mammograms, 7 ultrasounds and one negative biopsy later, they removed a 6cm tumor.  Both the last mammogram and ultrasound showed two tumors less than 1cm in size.  Never felt a thing.  I had not felt well for 8 years and tried everything to fix thryoid, out of balance hormones, etc. to feel better and I very slowly felt worse.  So I started going monthly to an acupunturist because I got fed up with the doctors not able to make me feel better.  The first three months I had so much junk leave my system that I finally felt better.  2 years later I was once again feeling worse than before and that's when they found the cancer.  The miracle was that the tumor was 6 cm but all my lymph nodes were negative.  I can't prove it but I think the two years a acupuncture kept the cancer out of my lymph system.  Only 1% chance that the nodes would come back negative with my size tumor.

I found a lump one month after a normal mammo (had gotten them yearly since age 40---am now 59).  US and MRI then showed a .9 cm mass which was invasive on bx.  Had lumpectomy, which also found 8 cm DCIS, along with the .9 IDC.  I decided to have a bilat mastectomy (2 separate surgeries, 2nd one 11/10) as there would be no way to moniter for recurrance in the future.  The DCIS was not seen on any study and obviously had been there for years.  Also had chemo AC x4(Oncotype score 24, but wanted to be as aggressive as possible).  Now on Arimidex.  I tell my story to others so they will at least do self-exams and not think that mammos will necessarily find cancer. 

I also have very dense breasts and was not diagnosed early. As you may know, there are some other threads on this issue: "For Those with Dense Breasts Tissue" and others (search "dense breasts"). It's so frustrating. Women need to know this.

I had two mammograms in April but was given the all clear.  October, I felt a hardness in my breast that did not feel like a "tumor" -  was getting my period, knew I had fibrous tissue and did not get too concerned.  A couple of days later my right breast was noticably different - enlarged and nipple was slightly inverted and very pale.  Within a week, I had a breast and node biopsy, MRI (IIIa, 1 node tested positive for cancer, 5.7 cm tumor with several "satelite lesions"), PetCT scan, a port put in and on my way to 6 chemo treatments (ACT).  I have completed 5 of 6.  I am opting for a bi-lateral mastectomy (April) which will be followed by 6 weeks of daily radiation (May).  My mantra to my friends and family has become - know your "junk".  I think we all get some sort of relief after a clear mammogram - like we are safe for a year.  Your Dr. is never going to tell you don't rely on the mammogram because it has a huge failure rate.  They are going to ask you if do self exams but they typically don't tell you why you absolutely should.  When people ask me what they can do for me - instead of dinner for my family or driving me to chemo, I am going to say check and know your breasts because you never want to be in this "club".

i got the letter saying my mammo was normal, then a call from the radiologist telling me he wanted me to disregard the letter as he just had a bad feeling & wanted me to get a bx.  i remember being a bit irritated, as i was so sure it was nothing.  the bx was a pain, as the us didn't clearly pick up the spot well, so there were many pokes.  but the path results were positive.  the bs wanted an mri of both breasts, the 'good' breast showed 'something', & the bc side showed two little areas.  had an us of the 'good' breast which didn't show anything, so went for an mri guided bx.  they couldn't find anything to bx.  we started going to the casino after every appt just to cope with the conflicting info.  i saw the mammos myself & there was nothing to 'see' in terms of changes, or clearly defined suspicious area.  i just thank God for a radiologist with a gut feeling.  surgery unearthed two 2cm tumors & one 6cm with lymph node involvement, and disease in surrounding tissue.  and no, we could not feel a lump.  the breast didn't feel any different than it ever did.

i'm more angry about the asshole the premarital counselling didn't pick up & wasting those years.  but then just glad i got out of that before ending up in an ann rule book.  then i found the other half of my heart, so all is well.

the mammos, us & mri were not perfect, but ultimately i was diagnosed & treated. kind of like winning the lottery twice.  well, if you throw in the brain tumor & the divorce from psycho, maybe that is four times.

Cat123, I too went for yearly mammos and actually had 3 mams the same year I discovered my 5.2 cm lump myself.  Never showed up on any mammo. That's why I really hate all the BC hype to women and offering a false sense of security with yearly mammograms.

Barb

I have dense breast tissue too, found my own lump. Does anyone know if thermography works for dense breast tissue??