ADH and FEA

A biopsy is more accurate than any imaging. And no imaging can determine if there is any malignancy present - the appearance of the breast tissue on the imaging simply provides an estimate of the risk that a malignancy might be present.

Ultrasounds don't usually show calcifications so no surprise there. Thermography has a lot of history and has not been found to be a trusted technology when it comes to breast cancer diagnosis.

Where there is ADH, there is approx. a 20% - 25% risk that some cancer might also be present. Diagnostic screening is not precise enough to make this determination, which is why an excisional (surgical) biopsy is usually recommended when ADH has been found in a needle biopsy. In my case after my stereotactic biopsy found ADH, my excisional biopsy uncovered lots of high grade DCIS and a tiny amount of invasive cancer. Of course that's not what happens in most cases - usually only ADH is found - but if you don't have the excisional biopsy you do risk leaving an early stage cancer undiagnosed, allowing it to possibly develop into something more serious.

Sorry, that's probably not what you want to hear. Hopefully this will turn out to be just ADH, but taking the extra steps to be certain is usually what's recommended.

Obviously Beesie and I were posting at the same time:)

I'm certainly not planning on it and I have LCIS.

Having these conditions and being "high risk" does not necessarily translate to much higher risk than normal. Especially ADH. ADH is lower risk than LCIS.

With no other risk factors every woman has around a 12% lifetime risk of getting breast cancer. They estimate LCIS raises that to about 20%, so only an absolute risk increase of 8%. ADH would be less than that, so what, maybe a 5% actual risk increase?

Most doctors only recommend a lumpectomy for small or low stage cancers, so it seems to me that removing the breast would be a big over reaction to atypical cells at this point. The odds are that any atypical condition will never progress to anything worse.

"beesie naturopath insists the ABUS takes mitul level pictures that then composes 3-d images. So it should show dcis."

Salima, sorry, no. Not if the DCIS presents as calcifcations, as happens in about 90% of cases.

"ABUS screenings do not replace mammograms. Mammograms find calcifications in the ducts that can indicate cancer.

ABUS screenings do not show calcifications, but reveal other abnormalities hidden by dense breast tissue. That's why it's important to always have a mammogram first."

http://www.nch.org/medical-services/breast-center/abus/better-detection.php

The simple fact is that no screening in the world can tell you if something suspicious in your breast - be it calcifications or an area of thickening or an actual lump - is benign or DCIS or invasive cancer. The screening just shows something suspicious, and the radiologist assesses the risk level based on how the image looks. The radiologist might assess that something has an appearance that suggests only a 10% risk of being cancer, but the biopsy might find cancer. Or the radiologist might assess that something looks highly likely to be cancer, a 95% chance that it's cancer, and yet whatever it is turns out to be benign. No screening in the world can tell you if an area of suspicious calcifications is totally benign, is ADH, includes some DCIS, or includes some invasive cancer. It just can't be done. Impossible based on current technology.

The other thing to understand is that each type of screening - mammogram, ultrasound (including ABUS) and MRI - uses a different technology, and therefore each "sees" something different. A mammogram cannot spot the difference between a solid mass and a fluid-filled mass (a cyst) but usually an ultrasound can "see" this difference clearly. On the other hand, mammograms are best at seeing calcifications. MRIs don't see calcs, but may see the cancer that is associated with calcifications (if the calcs are a sign of high grade DCIS or invasive cancer). Ultrasounds usually don't see any of that. That's why as part of the diagnostic process usually more than one type of test is done. It gives the surgeon a more complete perspective.

As for what to do if the final diagnosis is ADH and FEA, I agree with Melissa. Just "taking the breast" is major surgery that changes your body for the rest of your life (I know!). It's not nearly as simple as it sounds. And with ADH, your risk level might range from 16% to 30%, depending on what other risk factors you might have. So your risk level might not be much higher than average, even after a diagnosis of ADH.

Take it one step at a time - don't jump to any conclusions or decisions. Have the excisonal biopsy and see what it finds. Then take it from there.

No, wait to see what the surgeon says. MRIs are expensive and a surgeon may not think one will be helpful.

I know you are anxious, but going and getting a lot of tests to try to diagnose yourself somehow isn't going to help or give you any definitive answer. The biopsy is what you need, but waiting isn't going to make any differerence in the outcome. Even if there were some DCIS the best guess is that it has already been there for 8-10 years before it is detectable, so an extra few weeks won't change anything.

Also, as a friend here pointed out, I generalized about Tamoxifen being the drug for premenopausal women. Sometimes it is also used in postmenopause.

She also pointed out that the definition of how to define LCIS is also very controversial, but you haven't been diagnosed with ALH or LCIS so I won't go into all that right now.

I was just diagnosed with ADH and FEA. It was kind of funny when the doctor was so upbeat telling me I didn't have cancer and just as upbeat told me I had to have surgery. My doctor wants to do surgery also, they want to remove quite a bit of tissue. I am worried and afraid too, but I watched my sister die because she had a doctor tell her she didn't need to do anything about it.

ADH is a non cancerous growth that should be removed because there is an increased risk of breast cancer. ADH does not mean you have breast cancer at worst case it would be pre-pre-cancer, (yes I put two pre's on purpose), keep your spirits up. If you allow yourself to go down in the dumps you could weaken your body and it won't be able to fight as hard as you need it to.

Another good thing, or a group of things to help. Keep your immune system up by eating fresh raw garlic, (not garlic already minced), because it is a natural antibiotic, take vitamin D it will help your body fight off cancer if you have it and if you don't have cancer vitamin D is still a good idea, but you have to have your doctor check your D levels before you take it, you don't want to overdose on vitamin D. Drinking freshly squeezed juice is a great idea, but you have to drink it quick. The treatment for cancer these days is great it's not like it was even 10 years ago. Stay happy and find reasons to laugh no matter how strange it seems to others. Good luck and may God be with you.