Did ultrasound miss your cancer?

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  • Enjoyful
    Enjoyful Member Posts: 3,591
    edited March 2011

    Betterwannabe -

    GO WITH YOUR GUT.  Push this until you have a definite answer.  I had negative mammograms and ultrasounds for years before my cancer was detected.  When it was found, I had 6 tumors in one breast and was stage III.  Now I'm stage IV and of course wondering what would have happened had I known how inaccurate both imaging techniques can be.  

    I don't want to frighten you but you need to know these things to protect yourself.  It really ticks me off that mammograms are pushed as the be-all and end-all of detection, when they're only 60-70% accurate.  That's a D on my mental report card!

    Push push push!

    E

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited March 2011

    I agree with the women here, go with your gut and don't rest until you feel comfortable with the the course of action, and someone before me mentioned you are going to get more "yes" answers due to this being a bc discussion board, so I don't come here to scare you, but it is a reality that things can go "unseen"...

    I had a mamm, saw calcs, US, then biopsy found LCIS/ADH, followed up with an MRI, saw nothing "new"...I opted for prophylactic BMX (strong family history clinched it)...fast forward to pathology results from BMX...multifocal DCIS all over my breast went undetected...the Dr's ordered the tests, but in the end, the machines couldn't see it...go with your gut and don't settle, it's your right to follow through till you have all the info.  

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  • AnnNYC
    AnnNYC Member Posts: 4,484
    edited March 2011

    Betterwannabe,

    My story is almost exactly like Geri's (inthemoment) -- painful lump near my nipple, not seen on mammo or ultrasound -- inconclusive fine needle aspiration (FNA) -- excisional biopsy to remove the lump, which turned out to be IDC, without clean margins, involving the nipple-areola complex, requiring mastectomy.  Just about the only difference from Geri's story is that all the doctors I saw were concerned and directed me to each "next step" to determine what was really going on, so I didn't have to "fight" for it.

    I think it's infinitely better to get a definite answer about why you have a lump in your armpit.  You deserve the peace of mind at the very least -- and if it is "something" you need to find out as soon as possible.

    Someone above made a very good point that since most women here have had BC, you will get more stories about "ultrasound clear -- turned out to be cancer" here, so please don't let that scare you.  But I hope you can get a definite answer -- and it would be fantastic if the definite answer is "benign."  Best of luck to you.

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  • MissAye
    MissAye Member Posts: 70
    edited August 2012

    What an intersting thread. I find it interesting how so many people say to go with your instinct! I feel the same way right now. Lump, no show on Ultrasound. Still  having shooting pain in my breast now and then. Hmmm well thank you for this post. Gives me inspiration to keep on keeping on.

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  • MissAye
    MissAye Member Posts: 70
    edited August 2012

    Better to be safe? Keep going if your sick? Its sooo hard to not feel insane!

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  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 17,186
    edited August 2012

     US and Mammo did not find my LCIS in the "good" breast. MRI caught it. From what I have read this is not unusual for LCIS.

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  • MissAye
    MissAye Member Posts: 70
    edited August 2012

    The good breast? like the opposite of the one that had a lump? I am wondering because I have  a lump in my left that ultrasound did notsee. Now...My RIGHT breast is always inverted, and I "lactate" with negative prolactin blood results. I lactate all day long. (for about the past two years) Not smooth milk, but a thick white substance. Although no doctor seems to be alarmed about my one breast lactation.(maybe because I didn't have excess prolactin in my blood?) So its odd for me...because my "good breast" is the one with the lump. Just wondering!

    PS. I have a 3 year old daughter. I stopped lactating a year(only breastfeed for 2 months) and then the one breast started like that substance... but doctors always kinda "chalk" it up to my daughter being born...I'm also 20..and they think I'm stupid...

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  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 17,186
    edited August 2012
    missAve get a 2nd opinion if no one can tell you what that lump is. It's not unusual for women in their 20's to be dismissed and told "you're too young to have breast cancer." You're not too young although less common.
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  • MissAye
    MissAye Member Posts: 70
    edited September 2012

    So...I thought that maybe I had a pulled muscle in my left shoulder, (same side I found the lump in) Its been there about 10 days now. It is now swollen, It makes the crevice of my armpit look like a ball kinda, cause it swollen. Its definitely different when compared to my left side. So I am thinking that even if my ultrasound came back negative, I should go back...

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  • Cosett
    Cosett Member Posts: 19
    edited September 2012

    You should get an MRI. My mammogram picked up no cancer, an ultrasound picked up three tumors, then the MRI picked up 12 tumors. So, if you have dense breast the tumors can hide in there. You need to advocate for yourself and you may need to get another opinion.

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  • Marsipan80
    Marsipan80 Member Posts: 1
    edited July 2017

    hi!

    I am in exact situation, left confused... I was told that because of my age they would not do a mammogram (I am patently too young). They will only do a scan... the doctor who was doing scan was going very quick.. I do not believe that she would see anything. I was told "nothing there, go home". But something is there.

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  • dtad
    dtad Member Posts: 2,323
    edited July 2017

    Hi there. This is a very old thread so you might not get a lot of response. I don't want to scare you but I had a ILC that did not show up on mammo or u/s. It could not be felt and only showed up on MRI. IMO if you have a lump that can be felt and you are young, you should have a MRI. Its the best screening tool for young/dense breasts. That being said, most breast lumps are benign! Good luck and keep us posted...

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  • djmammo
    djmammo Member Posts: 2,939
    edited July 2017

    Marsipan

    Just out of curiosity how old are you?

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  • Snowflake72
    Snowflake72 Member Posts: 1
    edited July 2018

    Hi, I am going to add to what many said here - I felt a lump 7 months ago so did my brilliant gp. Local breast clinic found nothing on ultrasound and made me feel bad for imagining it, said was an inflamed lymph node from a virus I had nearly a year ago. This month I found a much larger lump and asked my gp to refer me for a private self pay MRI to be sure, as I have dense breasts. He refused and said I had to trust the NHS. Nhs found the second lump and waiting for biopsy results. Got a private MRI and they found the first lump too - missed by ultrasound twice. Please always push - it is your health not theirs and you know your body best x

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  • Prairietwin2
    Prairietwin2 Member Posts: 35
    edited July 2018

    get answers! Don't assume all is o.k. It may be ( hopefully it is) but the sooner you know for sure the better. You have to take care of you

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited July 2018

    Snowflake & Prairietwin, this is an old thread. Since Marsipan only posted once a year agoit is a pretty safe bet that she is fine.

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  • JoE777
    JoE777 Member Posts: 628
    edited July 2018

    my mammo came back normal even though you could see and feel the lump- dense breast

    Ultra sound showed hyperplasia and suspicious mass

    My primary doc called me because he felt like he was looking at his wife's report and pictures- cancer

    He sent me immediately to her surgeon and he diagnosed me just by the exam and wouldn't let me go home until I had the biopsy that day.

    Things slip through in spite of everyone's best effort. Dense breast are notorious for hiding little nasties.

    The good news-you're now moving toward getting well:-

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  • itsthelittlethings
    itsthelittlethings Member Posts: 4
    edited August 2018

    I recently underwent a bilateral mastectomy because I got tired of mammograms and ultrasounds not showing the lump that I could feel and also my oncology surgeon could feel. In December I felt a lump in my previously irradiated breast. Nothing showed up on mammogram or ultrasound. The radiologists (x5) said it was probably a fat necrosis. My surgeon said, "I want to see you in five months." He did an aspiration biopsy and it was positive for carcinoma. A new primary (not a recurrence). MRI mammogram showed a 1.3 cm nodule that ended up being 2 cm after pathology. A report is only as good as the person who reads it. I opted for bilateral mastectomy because after 22 years of being cancer free, I now have a new primary tumor that is the "evil" twin sister. I'm having adjuvant chemotherapy at age 62 for a node negative cancer, Her2 negative, ER/PR positive, but with a Ki67 of 32% (no reconstruction). I would have never had a lumpectomy and radiation at age 40; I wish I had a bilateral mastectomy. All these years of mammograms, sonograms, biopsies (x10), false positives, and distrust in radiologists doing their job properly, there's no question in my mind. I'm just 22 years too late!

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  • WC3
    WC3 Member Posts: 1,540
    edited August 2018

    Yes. I had a palpable lump and I don't know whether or not the first US missed it or the radiologist misdiagnosed it but I was told it was normal breast tissue when it was actually an aggressive, high grade IDC. I can see it on the mammogram they did the same day but it apparently did not stand out to the radiologist. I was not told to get further testing despite national guidelines indicating that I should have been recommended to have futher imaging or a biopsy. As a result it went untreated for two years and grew from 0.4cm to over 2.5 cm.

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