Pleural Effusions

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Rubiayat
Rubiayat Member Posts: 144
edited January 2017 in Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned

Hello all. My friend was recently diagnosed with BC and I have a MRI coming up, which usually sends me into tailspin. Fears about recurrence are surfacing and I started going through old test results. Because I was only stage 1, I was only being followed with MRIs every six months (and now once a year). The results from a MRI from 8/2014 said no lesions on lungs or liver. Then the MRI in 1/2015 said bilateral pleural effusions. I didn't catch that at the time and there was no follow-up from my doctor. I know I didn't have pneumonia at that time. The 1/2016 MRI didn't say anything about my lungs or liver. I don't know if looking at the lungs and liver is a regular part of breast MRIs? I was told once it isn't, but then why the notes on my two MRIs?

Has anyone else had pleural effusions show up on a breast MRI and was there any additional testing?

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  • bevin
    bevin Member Posts: 1,902
    edited January 2017

    HI there, for MRI of Breast, most good radiologists will review and comment on what they can visually see in the captured MRI. I would follow with your MO and ask about eh pleural effusions.  I pray you are well.

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  • Rubiayat
    Rubiayat Member Posts: 144
    edited January 2017

    Thanks Bevin! I see my MO next week and am going to request additional testing for the pleural effusions.

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  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited January 2017

    If the imaging was from 2015, I would think bilateral pleural effusions would cause shortness of breath. It certainly is something you should ask about though.

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  • Beatmon
    Beatmon Member Posts: 1,562
    edited January 2017

    I had CT scan say I had atelectasis in both bases....no symptoms. Doc said they frequently overvread.But I'm like you, want to know what they see. Good luck with followu

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  • cive
    cive Member Posts: 709
    edited January 2017

    My pleural effusions were found on a CT scan.  I'd had an Xray and they found something on the Xray but couldn't say exactly what it was so they sent me for a CT scan.  I was terribly short of breath from my effusions. 

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  • Rubiayat
    Rubiayat Member Posts: 144
    edited January 2017

    Thank you ladies! Part of me assumes that I would have some symptoms, like shortness of breath, if they are still present. But then I've read it is not uncommon to be asymptomatic. In the last few months I have been experiencing a tightness in my chest and chest pain, which I've attributed to a flare-up of GERD. Who knows! I hope my MO will request a CT scan just to rule anything out.

    Cive - what was the cause of your pleural effusions?

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  • cive
    cive Member Posts: 709
    edited January 2017

    Rubiayat:  It was my breast cancer that came back in my lungs, in other words metastases to my lungs.  There are  benign conditions that can cause pleural effusions however.  I would think that you would have become symptomatic if you had malignant pleural effusions, such as being short of breath, since they take up lung space.

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  • Rubiayat
    Rubiayat Member Posts: 144
    edited January 2017

    Thank you for sharing Cive. I'm so sorry about the metastases....

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