Test result confusion...

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edwsmom
edwsmom Member Posts: 346
edited August 2015 in Waiting for Test Results

I was diagnosed with breast cancer after my mammogram saw a single enlarged lymph node, left side. That was biopsied and was found to be carcinoma. Nothing else was seen on the mammogram...no primary....though I've been told my breasts are dense.

I had an initial MRI that saw the enlarged left lymph node and something small and apparently suspicious in the right breast. But no primary in the left breast.

Today, I had an MRI/biopsy on that suspicious something in my right breast on the first MRI....now we wait for that result.

Heard back today that the PET/CT scan I had last week came back clean with the exception of the node in the left breast that we already knew about.

What I don't understand is that the PET/CT didn't see anything in the right breast. They still saw something in the right breast on the second MRI today, so they did do the biopsy.

How can nothing come back on the PET/CT, but be seen twice on the MRI? Could it be benign? (Hoping too much?)

The PET/CT also didn't identify a primary in the left breast

I was just booked for a follow-up appointment with the breast surgeon on Friday morning. The right breast biopsy results should be back by then, so I'm really hoping I get some clarity around what's going on and what we do about it. This is very confusing and frustrating!

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  • theresa45
    theresa45 Member Posts: 314
    edited August 2015

    Sorry that you've been diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a PET scan today and will have a biopsy of a suspicious node in a couple of weeks. My oncologist said that the problem with PET scans is that they cannot detect cancer until it is a certain size. I believe 1cm is what she said. The biopsy is necessary to determine whether or not it is cancer. A relatively clean PET/CT scan is still something to celebrate, but it has it's limitations. I hope your biopsy proves to be noncancerous.

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  • edwsmom
    edwsmom Member Posts: 346
    edited August 2015

    Hi Theresa,

    Thanks for your reply. I hope it's not cancerous too.

    Whatever they saw in the right breast they said it was less than a cm. I guess that's why they saw it in the MRI and not the PET/CT.

    I had the MRI guided biopsy on that spot on the right on Monday. Waiting for that report to come back.

    Had my echocardiogram this morning, genetic testing tomorrow and an appointment with the BS on Friday to look over all the test results and talk about treatment next.

    Slogging through this wait one step at a time...

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