Left the biopsy clip in after surgery

I am in the similar situation, and I don't know what to do with the clip left behind. I am very unhappy with it. I was told by the radiologist the clip would be removed during surgery. But during the lumpectomy the surgeon couldn't find the clip from the tissue removed. I had a radioactive seed localization and thank god the radioactive seed was found and removed. I am left with to have a follow up mammogram to find out if the titanium clip has gone to other places or if not where it is in my breast! I have the feeling this is a ball being kicked back and forth from surgeon and radiologist by using our breasts as the play field, where nobody go after to clean up the site to remove those clips/seeds afterwards.

Has anyone had lumpectomy surgery without the titanium clip left in your body? Any long term side effects? Is self breast exam with these clips left in there still doable?

I had a similar situation with my recent bilateral mastectomy. I had bilateral cancer with an IDC tumor on the left and ILC on the right. There was one biopsy marker clip on the right and 2 on the left.

During surgery, one of the clips wasn't removed. I didn't find out until 2 weeks after my surgery at my post op appointment. I had to have a second surgery to remove the clip. The clip had cancer cells around it, so 1 cm margins were removed around it. The surgeon said that there is a chance that the second surgery coukd cause blood flow problems with my flap and require ANOTHER additional surgery with my flap.

In my case, they were adamant that the clip needed to be removed because it had gone "through" the tumor. If it would have been left in place, I was going to have to have radiation on that side (even before they knew that there were stray cancer cells around it).

I do have to have radiation on the right still because on that side there was some invasion of the pectoral muscle.

I'm being treated at an NCI affiliated teaching hospital

My Drs. told me that it had to be removed. They weren't willing to do a biopsy to determine if there were suspicious cells around it or I might have gone that route, actually.

I was not happy about having a second surgery, which was equivalent to a lumpectomy, three weeks after bilateral mastectomy. In retrospect, I'm glad that the clip is out and that they took a decent margin all the way around the clip so that I know that there are no cancer cells lurking.

I also had a lumpectomy which was to take 45 minutes. Surgeon told me she couldn't find the clip and spent extra time (2 hrs total) searching for clip. She took numerous sample but no clip. 3 weeks out and my (horrible) looking incision has an inflamed area and i have to go back after first of the year for another mamo to locate it. So far Atypical papaloma. Ultra sound didnt locate it during wire placement.

Rachael, they leave them in after core biopsies. If it turns out, based on core biopsy results, that the area needs to be excised, the marker is used to locate the area and is usually removed with the breast tissue

this is happening to me now. Got a call today one biopsy clip not accounted for in pathology. How did your story end? All ok

I have two biopsy clips on my non operated breast due to a false positive mammogram reading many years ago. Can't feel them at all.

My BS reported that my surgery was prolonged because the biopsy clip was not in the path specimens and they finally found it clinging to the side of the auction bucket! She said they move a little slower now to be certain they know where the clp(s) are. Fortunately for me I was not aware of the consternation at the time. The clips are typically very small and I can understand how they could be hard to find. So sorry to learn that several of you have needed a second surgery to be certain the tumor cells were removed. Wishing successful healing for all.