MRI results, but questions

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percy4
percy4 Member Posts: 477
edited June 2014 in DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)

Good news.  My breast MRI came back with no other signs of disease in either breast.  My question is this.  I asked the surgeon if the area where my DCIS punch samples were taken was the same, bigger, or smaller, on the MRI,  and she said it actually doesn't show.   Will still be doing olive-sized lumpectomy (not bad ) around marker clip, as low-grade DCIS samples were from there.  Asked her why area from which the DCIS samples were taken doesn't show on MRI, and she said micro-calcifications don't show on MRI as they do on digital mammogram, so thery're going with the mammogram to get the area.  Still; I've read here that other women (Beesie?) found other areas of DCIS in affected breast upon MRI.  If the calcifications don't show on MRI, what in the MRI "showed" more DCIS in the breast for you? Confusing!

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited November 2013


    Yes, as a rule MRIs don't show calcifications. At the time I was diagnosed, I also had calcs in my other breast - the biopsy on those was benign. My MRI showed lot of "stuff" in my breast with cancer and it showed my breast with benign calcs to be completely clear - it didn't show those calcs at all. My breast surgeon was actually the one who used the word "stuff" to describe what the MRI showed in my breast with cancer. All that stuff turned out to be more DCIS, mostly high grade but some intermediate grade. So the MRI doesn't actually show the calcs (which aren't the cancer) but it shows the cancer.


    My understanding is that as a rule ( and there are exceptions of course) MRIs are better than mammos at showing high grade DCIS and invasive cancer, but MRIs may not always show low grade DCIS. The closer to benign the calcs are, the less likely anything will show on the MRI. So good news that your MRI was clear since it indicates that it's hopefully all low grade DCIS.

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  • percy4
    percy4 Member Posts: 477
    edited November 2013

    Thank you, girlfriend.  I had been considering giving my stereotactic biopsy results to Dr. Lagios, pre-treatment (he usually sees them affter lumpectomy, but sometimes before).  In some, few, cases, he's determined that what was staged as DCIS was, in reality, ADH.  Though two sets of path eyes in my HMO agreed it was low-stage DCIS.  Money is a concern for me.  What do you think?

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  • percy4
    percy4 Member Posts: 477
    edited November 2013

    Not for me, of course.  I know I need to make up my own mind.   But if it was you?

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited November 2013


    Personally I would seek the opinion of Dr. Lagios but I would wait until after surgery. Even if it's ADH, usually surgery is done, just to ensure that there is no DCIS mixed in with the ADH. With a small low grade DCIS I wouldn't be sure that I'd have rads or take Tamoxifen and that would be the benefit to me of getting Dr. Lagios' opinion. And if it turned out that he judged it to be ADH rather than DCIS, even better and that would certainly cement my decision to pass on rads. But I would want the entire tissue sample available for review.

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  • percy4
    percy4 Member Posts: 477
    edited November 2013

    Thank you, again.  Your input is invaluable. xx (And, yes, I know that, so far, I am incredibly lucky).

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