Waiting for my biopsy was rated 4 on the mri

Dnkreid · January 2017

hey all, was wondering if you could give me some answers since the doctor emailed me and never called and never explained why I was a 4!

I'm 35 and have a chek 2 mutation that increases my risk to 40% lifetime. My MRI stated I had a well circumscribed oval mass 8 mm located in the posterior. It was homeogenous enhancement with STIR hyper intense. Anyone have similar reports? I'm really freaked especially since my mother passed away in her forties.

Moderators · January 2017

Dnkreid, wow, very frustrating that they emailed you results, without explanation.

By saying you are a 4, are they referencing your BIRAD category? BIRAD from mammogram

Do you have a follow up appointment scheduled? We suggest that you call the office, and schedule a time to talk.

We're sorry for the anxiety you are feeling!

Dnkreid · January 2017

bi rad 4 on mri

LisaAlissa · January 2017

Hi Dnkreid,

What did your doc say in the email? Generally, there would be a recommendation, along with the info that the BiRADs for your MRI was "4." Something along the lines of one of:

Get another screening in __ months (looking for changes that would indicate a problem, or no changes which would ID what they see is part of your normal breast architecture),
See another doc,
Get a biopsy,
Have another screening exam (different from the first, usually),
Have someone who is an expert (reads breast MRIs all day/every day) take a look at your MRI results.

Any of those could be a perfectly acceptable rec. Or something else entirely!

If you didn't get a rec, call your doc and ask for his/her suggestion about your "next steps."

HTH,

LisaAlissa

Dnkreid · January 2017

I did get a rec at the bottom for a biopsy. Going tomorrow. I'm just trying to prepare myself.

tmccaffr · January 2017

Hi The waiting for biopsy results is horrible. I had a similar scare in November. Keep in mind that "BI-RADS 4 means that the findings on your mammogram are suspicious and that there is approximately a 23% to 34% chance that this is breast cancer." I am hoping that your biopsy will show negative for cancer. The mass could be a fibroandenoma.

BarredOwl · January 2017

Hi tmccaffr:

I agree it could be benign. I'm not sure where you got the information that: "BI-RADS 4 means that the findings on your mammogram are suspicious and that there is approximately a 23% to 34% chance that this is breast cancer."

I am not aware of any BiRADs categories that provide such precise risk estimates for Category 4 as a whole. For the general population, with a Bi-RADS Category 4 rating according to the American College of Radiology ("ACR"), the "Likelihood of Cancer" ranges from:

"> 2% but < 95% like[li]hood of malignancy."

Below please find links to information about the ACR reporting system used in the US, which indicate the likelihood of malignancy for Bi-RADs Category 4 with MRI, Mammography or Ultrasound:

ACR Bi-RADS Atlas Breast MRI (Extract):

https://www.acr.org/~/media/ACR/Documents/PDF/QualitySafety/Resources/BIRADS/03%20MRI/08%20%20BIRADS%20MRI%20Reporting.pdf

For Mammography, see:

https://www.acr.org/~/media/ACR/Documents/PDF/QualitySafety/Resources/BIRADS/01%20Mammography/02%20%20BIRADS%20Mammography%20Reporting.pdf

For Ultrasound, see:

https://www.acr.org/~/media/ACR/Documents/PDF/QualitySafety/Resources/BIRADS/02%20Ultrasound/05%20%20BIRADS%20US%20Reporting.pdf

Best wishes to all for benign results.

BarredOwl