Cancer missed by mammogram?

Yes - it appears this is a problem with some insurance companies and I've now read other posts mentioning this for BCBS insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield). So let this be a warning to anyone with this insurance carrier that they may refuse authorization for breast MRI unless you already have complications. They certainly are not for preventative screening for high risk patients or former breast cancer patients. Be prepared to put up a fight or to find a Radiology Service not in their pocket who is willing to take direct patient payment. This is the ugly side to healthcare. Joann

I haven't been diagnosed yet but am afraid that it is in the near future. I have been posting on the "worried but not diagnosed board" but wandered into this one just to see if anyone had the same problem as me. I was just reading this post and it is similar to what I have been going through......dense breasts. I just wanted to suggest to all who have them to get a breast thermography done. I just did a week ago and now have an appointment with surgeon on thursday of this week. It doesn't look good. But this way at least I know that I'm not crazy like the doctors seemed to think. Every mammo and u/s looked "okay". Nothing to worry about. I didn't buy it this last time. I clearly feel the thickening and lump and hard lymph node under my arm and know that the pain I am feeling deep within my breast is not just in my head. What jerks!!! I went above their heads and did this on my own which seemed to irritate them a little. All I can say is that it was worth all $210 it took to get the thermography done seeing that insurance won't pay for it even though it is FDA approved and has had a lot of success in locating cancer. Just wanted to let you all know what a great option this is for women with dense breast and I think that this should be done first, then maybe do mammos and other tests.

Hi, It has been many years now that groups such as Areyoudense.org and densebreast-info.org have been advocating for density notification and raising awareness of the risks of dense breasts. 32 states in the USA now have density notification legislation. Here in Canada, we now have a group called Dense Breasts Canada and we are trying to raise awareness. We are a group of breast cancer survivors and health care professionals trying to spread the word that breast density matters. Would love to hear from otehrs whose cancer was miussed by mammogra.

joanne elizabeth....I completely agree with your statement about men and their testicles! My dear cousin died of BC 25 years ago and I was appalled to find out how little has changed in the BC world in all this time! It has entered my mind many times that things would be different if BC was a male dominated disease. Tragic. I had an ILC missed on both 3D mammo and u/s. Only picked up on preoperative MRI. We all need to speak up for prevention, better treatment options and yes a cure! Good luck to all navigating this complicated disease.

i had mammograms every year. The most recent prior to dx was September 2o14. Dx Aug 2015. It never showed on mammogram and did not show on MRI. Only reason they found it was because it was hiding under a benign lump that I found, which U/S suspected was malignant. The lump was benign, but the cancer was underneath. iMO, we are on our own. Mammogram is not reliable. Know your body and find a doctor who will listen to you.

i had 2 yearly mammos from 40 years old. I had told the gp my mother took the drug des during her pregnancy with me but no one ever mentioned that this meant i shouldve been having yearly mammos. The mammo operaters often said i had very dense breasts but it was said more like a compliment like my breasts were young for my age. Like it was a good thing. No one told me the density would make detection of bc more difficult. Thus even if i hadve been having yearly mammo it would not have helped much.

Now the very scary part. This january i was recalled for 2nd mammo due to 2 microscopic areas like a few grains of sand they wanted to check just in case. Nothing at all could be seen on ultrasound. 3 specialists were unable to feel any lump. There was no pain no discharge my breasts were very symetrical. I was a dd cup but not overweight. Biopsy showed 2 small areas of high grade dcis with comedonecrosis. Just before scheduled lumpectomy my brother in law who is a doctor suggested i should have an mri. Mri showed..... 90mm x 70 x25 mm area of dcis. An area the size of a clenched fist which could not be felt or seen by any other diagnostic method. I had to have mastectomy . Mri did over diagnose as final pathology said 70mm dcis. Which is HUGE. Our system hrre is different to yours and i wont go into all the details. It seems like the mammos were a waste of time but at the end of the day they did detect the calcifications. Lucky for me and i mean lucky my dcis had got that big without any invasive cells developing or i couldve been in BIG trouble. Ironic thing i am fanatical about testing having had cin 3 dysplasia on my cervix at age 30 that was found on a routine pap smear. If i had known the facts i would happily have paid for biannual mri out of my own pocket. And will do in the future for remaining breast. It is scary alright.

I too had a false sense of security. I had my first mammogram at 35, then 37, 39 and 40-47. All at the same location and 2 years ago they received a 3D mammogram. I don't have dense breasts. I go every March for my mammogram and have never missed one in the last 7 years. Lo and behold I felt the tumor myself a month before my scheduled mammogram. Immediately changed my appointment two days following. The mammogram caught the tumor supposedly 1.3 cm. Then went for a sonogram which caught a shadow. Then on to an MRI which showed second tumor 1 cm. When all was said and done I had a double mastectomy and during the pathology they found two more tumors four all together 0.8 and 0.5 cm with DCIS all around. Second Breast was healthy and I opted for a Double Mastectomy with DIEP Flap. So happy to be rid of them. Now in the middle of chemotherapy.

Talk about a false sense of security. I was so mad thinking I was doing the right thing. Mammograms are worth SH*T. Still so angry. Thank god no lymph node involvement but triple positive. Also both biopsies came back her2 negative but when all was said and done I am HER2 +.

I had a mammography in August 2015. Got recalled and had an ultrasound to be told I had cysts and cysts were our friends. In February 2016 I am a the GP with an inverted nipple. By the time I had surgery my lump was 3.5 cm and I'm triple positive with 18 affected lymph nodes. I have asked was this missed and have been told no my tumour was aggressive. But I cannot get the nagging doubt out of my head.....

I religiously had a mammogram yearly for about 20 years or so. All were fine, then all of a sudden I had a mammogram at the same place I had had one for 7 or 8 years, received a phone call the following day to go right to the hospital for another mammogram and a biopsy. The nurse at the hospital took a mammogram and said everything was fine and showed me the new mammogram on the screen compared with the prior year and said everything was normal. I told her about the phone message and she said and said I needed further clarification and I wasn't leaving. Thank God I persevered, the radiologist said I wanted to see her, and yes, of course, he took a biopsy and said I shouldn't be planning any trips. My O said it had been growing about 7 to 8 years but was so deep to the chest wall it couldn't be seen. It became aggressive at some point, and I ended up being told I was stage 2, had chemo with little results, radiation, surgery where I was then told I was really Stage 3 all along but they didn't know that before surgery. So, you never know. 7 years next month since diagnosis but I'm feeling good, still considered high risk but have wonderful caring doctors.

I also have dense breasts. I went religiously for annual mammograms from age 40 due to a family history. last July, I found a small lump at 12 o'clock between my nipple and collar bone. Mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy all done. An aggressive cancer. Thank God I found it! Just had my first mammogram since BC and got a call back for focal asymetry on the left side. I totally freaked out. I went today for another mammogram and ultrasound which thank God turned out to be OK. The area is a bit more dense than the other side....

Digby, I will check out the Canadian group you mentioned.

Had Mammo/sono done for years due to dense breasts. Even a few yeas of MRI's. Last mammo/sono done in July this year. Mammo neg. Sono showed 3 areas of concern. One on right, two on left. Radiologist came in and scanned both. Set up biopsy for two on left. Negative, but had a radial scar so needed to come out. Surgeons radiologist looked at my mammo/sono, noted that previous radiologist did not make mention on report about the right area. They decided to biopsy. Turned out to be bc. My point, even with mammo and sono, it's also up to the radiologist to interpret it. Mine called after hearing about the bc diagnosis. She apologized and said she thought it was my breast tissue. It is what it is.

I have been getting my mammos for 20 years always normal with dense breast, I didn't feel any lump except my annual mammos came back with a lump on my lumpy nodes. Even US can't find my lumps on my breast finally MRI found my lumps. I don't know how much can we trust mammos.

Hi everyone...I had an ILC tumor which was missed by both 3D mammo and U/S. It was only picked up by a preoperative MRI for an IDC tumor. So another words if I didn't have IDC I never would have known I had ILC. This is why I obviously think MRIs should be done on everyone diagnosed with BC before any treatment decisions are made. My doc does it for all his BC patients but not all docs do. We have to be our own advocates. Good luck to all.

Mojo - OMG that's upsetting! Mine was 3.5 CM in my lymph nodes it didn't show on mammos not even US. For women as us with issues they should let us have MRI more often. It is truly regarding cost in insurance stand point.