MRI

I have been diagnosed with DCIS grade 3- they want to do lumpectomy.

Should I push Doctor to have MRI- to make sure they have as much information before surgery- to know whether to take any lymph nodes?

Many doctors are using MRI after biopsy to rule out any additional areas before surgery and treatment begin.  I know several women who have had additional areas of cancer discovered, and that changed the treatment plan.  I would much rather have the MRI before surgery to attempt to not be back in for more surgery and treatment at a later date for an undiscovered cancer.  No guarantees, but it sure is nice to only have to go through this once.

I am not a radiologist, but without researching the term, I would assume that the intraductal extension to the nipple would mean that you would not be a candidate for nipple sparing mastectomy.  If you have a cancer resource center near you, they are great at going through your reports and helping you understand every aspect of them.  If not, talk to your doctors, or an oncology nurse and see if they will help you.  It truly helps give us peace of mind to understand every aspect of this process, something many doctors do not understand.  

Positive thoughts for peace and healing to the both of you.

I have not had my surgery yet, but my MRI showed another area in my right breast I did not know about that looked suspicious and warranted a NB. We NB and found IDC. BUT, that said, the MRI also said highly suspicious metasis on my sternum and T2 bright lesion in the liver. My BS set up immediate bone scan and CT scan. The MRI was wrong. There was no metasis on sternum or liver. Talk about panic.

So, I'm scheduled for a unilateral mast. The left breast was totally clean in all the scans. My BS said mammograms are not enough, women should have an MRI every year and mammogram alternating years. They just don't pick up enough and so much gets missed.

 And thanks for the hint about going to the breast cancer center and getting all these reports read. I'm confused with some of the pathology reports I've gotten. By the way, how can they tell if your nodes look normal?

JBinOK,

Thanks for the reminder about scar tissue and rads damage preventing mammos and US from seeing things.  Jeez, why do WE have to think of these things?  Shouldn't there be some standard protocol?  If someone like me has a mammo which does not show BC and then a positive biopsy, shouldn't they MRI both breasts before lumpectomy?  If I had it in both breasts, I would probably have chosen MX without rads.  I think I will get an appointment with my BS tomorrow .  I do like her and trust her.  Hopefully she will agree to a breast MRI.