can mammography dx lobular cancer?

Napaoctober
Napaoctober Member Posts: 39
edited June 2014 in ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)

i have a few areas of thickening in one of my breasts.  I have had it for a few years, but recently have developed other areas.  I had my annual well women checkup and told the Dr about them.  She felt the area and gave me a script for screening mammo.  Would this identify these areas or should i ask for an ultrasound too?

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  • nash
    nash Member Posts: 2,600
    edited September 2013

    Mammos are notorious for missing ILC. The best imaging option is MRI--ask your dr to order one. Mammo missed my ILC and only part of the tumor showed up on u/s. 

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  • mary625
    mary625 Member Posts: 1,056
    edited September 2013

    Dear Napa: A mammogram may or may not identify those areas. For me, it did not, and I had to go directly to ultrasound. I am curious why you got a script for screening mammo? It would seem you need a diagnostic mammo. Anyway, in a good radiation department, they should take you to ultrasound if they are at all unsure of what is on the mammo or if the mammo doesn't show something that is clearly there, can be felt or can be seen as dimpling, retraction, etc. I hope all goes well and you don't have to join this ILC club after all.

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  • Kiss77
    Kiss77 Member Posts: 162
    edited September 2013

    Hi Napaoctober,

    There was a big lump in my left breast but the mammography shows nothing wrong, the ultra sound, too. Only MRI and the PET showed the cancer in my breast. But both of them missed the nodes. The "bad" nodes were 5 of 8 :-(

    As Mary wrote  I hope you don't have to join our club. Good luck!

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  • conniehar
    conniehar Member Posts: 954
    edited September 2013

    I had a 10 cm (!!) tumor that was not detected by mammo or u/s - only by MRI.  Insist on the MRI.

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  • Lily55
    Lily55 Member Posts: 3,534
    edited September 2013

    Mammogram missed my 5cm lobular just six weeks before my mastectomy, ultrasound was inconclusive, you need an MRI with contrast, nothing else will do or give you oeace of mind, good luck, hope its B9

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  • Gitane
    Gitane Member Posts: 1,885
    edited September 2013

    MRI detected my lobular cancer after mammograms missing it for years.

    nash:  Really good to hear from you again.Cool  Is it as hot in SD as it is her on OC?

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  • nash
    nash Member Posts: 2,600
    edited September 2013

    Hi, Gitane! *waving* It is so obnoxiously hot and humid here! We really are spoiled most of the time with the weather, aren't we?

    I haven't been on the boards for a long time, but just went for my annual mammo this week, so my mind wandered back to bc. And specifically to the thought that the mammo was probably fairly useless unless I've developed a new IDC primary.

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  • QCA
    QCA Member Posts: 1,539
    edited September 2013

    Actually, my ILC was originally detected by a routine mammogram.  I had no symptoms whatsoever but there was a difference between this particular mammogram and those previous.  I got "the call" back for a biopsy and that's where the actual diagnosis was made.

    Kathy

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  • toomuch
    toomuch Member Posts: 901
    edited September 2013

    Napa - Mary is absolutely right, you need to have an order for a diagnostic mammogram when you have areas of concern. They will do the screening mammo and then extra views that magnify the areas of concern. Then you have an area of concern they will do an US too.  My ILC was missed on screening mammogram, it was visable on diagnostic mammo after I found the lump and pointed it out to them. It was also seen on US and MRI. My tumor was unusual for ILC. It appeared the same size on mammo, sono and MRI and was that size on final pathology. Hoping you have benign findings. 

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