Body & breast size interfere with MRI guided biopsy?

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TechTeacher
TechTeacher Member Posts: 11
edited October 2016 in Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results

Hi all,

New to the forums and hoping there are some plus-size women here. It is very hard to find support and information specifically geared toward larger bodies. Or maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.

Anyway, after my biopsy and being diagnosed with DCIS (centrally located on the right side), my breast surgeon ordered an MRI. In the film from that they found another area of question, also on the right, that didn't show up in the previous mammograms or ultrasounds. I've been told I have very dense breast tissue. The location of this second area is on the right, way back on the outside near where the breast hits the rest of my torso. So the BS ordered an MRI-guided biopsy to get a sample of the area in question. Because of the size of my body, the size of my breasts, and the location, they had to use the larger opening MRI machine and the software there was unable to guide them to a sample of the tissue in question. I've since switched breast surgeons (for unrelated reasons) and the new BS is showing the films and report to the radiologist at her Breast Center. Waiting to hear back if it is worth it to try again to get a sample, or if the radiologist feels like it is likely that we'll end up with the same problem.

So here are my questions:
1) Is there anyone here who has had a similar problem with body/breast size and MRI-guided biopsies?
2) The original area of DCIS combined with the calcifications around it is fairly large (6.5 cm). The second area is about 4cm. I'm leaning toward plowing ahead with a skin sparing mastectomy instead of a lumpectomy. But I worry that I'm making a decision out of frustration and fear instead of science and best practices. Opinions? Thoughts?

For what it's worth I'm 48, my breasts fed my child. I firmly believe that in a year I'd rather look back and feel like maybe we were a bit more aggressive than we needed to be rather that wish we had dome more. I have a 9-year-old son to raise.

Wow. I really took the long way around on that, didn't I. Sorry for the long post.


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  • wendymk2016
    wendymk2016 Member Posts: 63
    edited October 2016

    TechTeacher:

    How did your initial DCIS is dx?

    I have similar situation, DCIS dx with grade 3 on left, size is about 1.8*1.3*0.9, my Dr. order MRI and found two more smaller non mass enhancements, one is 10mm,one is about 8mm, later we tried US, but could not find them. Since I decided to go with MX, so we put biopsy on hold until the surgery is done.


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  • debiann
    debiann Member Posts: 1,200
    edited October 2016

    Looking toward the future, if you go the lumpectomy route you will continue to have mammos and screenings in your future. If these are difficult or stressful times for you, mastectomy could be the answer. I had an mx. My first screening will be at the three year mark when I will have an mri. No more mammos for me!

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  • TechTeacher
    TechTeacher Member Posts: 11
    edited October 2016

    wendymk2016:

    Regular mammogram and ultrasound follow-up (which happens almost every year) found cysts. Asked me to follow up in 6mos. At that appointment found calcifications. Biopsied the calcifications, found DCIS. Assumed we would do a lump with rads. Then in the MRI they found this second area, which never showed up anywhere else. It has been like a never-ending cancer scavenger hunt. The first location is grade three, er-/pr-. Also I was negative for all know genetic markers.

    Do you mind me asking what tipped the scales for you to decide to have a mx?

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  • wendymk2016
    wendymk2016 Member Posts: 63
    edited October 2016

    My dr did not really give me any preferences from her which treatment plan I should take. She just say, if I want to go with LX, then we need to do MRI guided biopsy for those new areas. if we decide to do MX, then no need to do biopsy and the after surgery PATh report will show what it is.

    I told her that I can't handle the stress of doing the mammogram check every 6 month, also I am not big fan of radiation treatment. So she said then we will go ahead to do MX.

    I also asked her about the margin, she said she has confidence to clean my margin..


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  • Luckynumber47
    Luckynumber47 Member Posts: 397
    edited October 2016

    Hi TechTeacher,

    I had planned on doing the lumpectomy/radiation for the IDC in my left breast but the MRI found high grade, ER/PR- DCIS in the right breast. The aggressive nature of the DCIS scared me so I decided to do a BMX instead. I am so happy with my decision. Yes, it's a big surgery but I got to skip all the side effects from the radiation and get back to normal life much quicker. The biggest plus for me is not having to constantly worry whether the cancer is coming back - no more mammos, no 6 month watch and wait check ups, no more biopsies. I don't miss the girls. I mean, everyone's got boobs - instead I'm rocking some fancy scars.

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