Does Breast MRI show lymph nodes?

I did have an MRI prior to my BMX as this is standard practice for my surgeon.  My 2cm mass had not shown on mammography, but did show clearly on ultrasound.  The MRI did not show anything in addition to the already imaged mass in the right breast.  I was a lumpectomy candidate but chose BMX for my peace of mind, as I had always had very fibrocystic and dense breasts.  In the OR my SNB on the right side was declared clear.  Post-op pathology showed a micromet in that right SNB, which would not have been seen on the MRI because it was too small.  What the MRI failed to show was the additonal 6mm node further up in the axilla, and in addition, it failed to show the atypical ductal hyperplasia and atypical lobular hyperplasia that was present in the left, or "prophylactic" breast.  It is important to understand that a pre-surgical MRI is just another tool in the diagnostic process.  Different patients have differing levels of success with different types of imaging.  I think as far as other scans go, it is best to wait until after your surgery.  I think this is pretty standard, and this is usually the point where the surgeon takes a step back, and the oncologist takes a step up.  Because there can be surprises on post-op path such as I had, the approach your oncologist takes is best formulated when the answers come back from pathology after your surgery. I did have a PET scan between BMX and chemo and another PET at the conclusion of chemo, but even with nodal involvement I did not have a brain scan, or a bone scan.  My oncologist felt that the PET was encompassing enough to show any issues, and that any further scans at that time were not necessary.  I wish you the best on your upcoming surgery!

I didn't have an MRI before surgery, but I did have a biopsy and ultrasound.  I didn't understand what was being said at the time, but during the ultraound (there were two people there), there was a question asked about can you find a node?  The answer was, yes, a couple.  It turned out there were four bad ones.  I didn't learn that until the pathology came back after surgery, but someone had a good idea it had spread to the nodes from the ultrasound. 

My Oncologist does an ultrasound to check axilla nodes even post lumpectomy and rads - just another way to ensure there was not further disease.

Hi Dusterella - my BS ordered my PET Scan and MRI.  By the time I saw the MO, I'd had a lumpectomy, blood work including BRCA testing and both scans.  Any of those physicians can write the Rx for the scans, so if you want one, you should ask.

Yes.  I had broken a foot and was in a nonweightbearing cast for about 7 weeks, so I was on crutches.  One underarm could not endure that.  I was told I just didn't have the upper body strength for crutches, but that underarm showed 4 bad lymph nodes a short while later.  The underarm complained before I or anyone else could have found the breast tumor.  I wondered if using the crutches moved the cancer into the nodes.  No one could answer that.