Radial scar, anyone else win this lottery?

runor
runor Member Posts: 1,798
edited November 2018 in IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

Mods, new to forum and somewhat confused. Please advise if I have posted this is the wrong place.


Hello everyone. I have been reading this site for a few months now and it has been extremely helpful to me. I don't know why I didn't join sooner. I think it was that last bit of denial holding on, that this isn't really happening. That if I join a cancer forum it will suddenly become too real. Well, it's real.

Briefly, for the last few months of 2016 I had pain in my left breast. Not sharp or stabbing, just annoying. I thought it might be the start of menopause, hormonal changes making my breasts sore. I poked and jabbed and rubbed and looked, nothing. There was no sign, visible or otherwise, that anything was going on. The pain did not have a central point. The whole breast just ached. After several months of this I had a mammogram at the mobile mammogram van that rolls into town every few month.

A month later I get a call that something needs a second look, come in for more mammograms and ultrasound. My heart fell to my shoes and has pretty much remained there since that phone call Dec. 28, 2016.

The final report said it looked like a 'radial scar or complex sclerosing lesion', but cancer could not be ruled out so a biopsy was recommended and with radial scars needle biopsies are known to have a high failure rate, not getting good enough results, so surgical biopsy is suggested. I skipped the needle biopsy and opted to have a surgical biopsy as the first choice.

I read everything I could find about radial scars. I gathered that they are rare, often found by accident, rarely are cancerous, do not look typical of cancer on mammograms, but should be checked out just to be safe. At every step along the way I was told that this did not look like cancer, had none of the typical markers, I was considered low risk having no family history. Even the surgeon was shocked when this came back as a 2.5 cm IDC. Statistically, I am a very small event. No one who has dealt with me thus far was expecting a diagnosis of cancer, but there it is.

As I type this I am recovering from a lumpectomy (that went wrong and had its own story of bleeding out, having to be put out and re-opened and cleaned out and then re-assembled all in one day, ouch!) I have just received an appointment date to meet with the radiation oncologist and am waiting for appointment with chemotherapy oncologist.

I am trying to find my way through this. Other women who have walked the walk have been my greatest resource. This still feels new and terrifying. Posting here for the first time feels.... unreal.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited May 2017

    Hi runor, and welcome to Breastcancer.org,

    We're sorry you find yourself here, and we know it can feel surreal to put your feelings out there on a cancer discussion board, but we can assure you, you've found the best place to reach support, get answers, and find tons of helpful information for your situation. You're sure to receive tons of wonderful responses soon -- we're all here for you!

    And, yes, you've posted in the most appropriate forum.

    We look forward to hearing more from you soon!

    --The Mods

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  • Ozarkgirl
    Ozarkgirl Member Posts: 17
    edited November 2017

    hello! I had my yearly mammogram in September only to be caught off guard with a telephone call requesting that I come back in for diagnostic mammogram which then leads to a ultrasound which then led to a biopsy. The biopsy showed benign however it showed that I had radial scar in right breast with atypia cells. I have been referred to a breast surgeon and my appt is Nov 20 -- I'm trying not to worry because my thought is that the biggest hurdle is behind me with the biopsy being benign right?

    There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information out there concerning radial scars so in my assumption they aren't as concerning as a true mass. I don't know maybe I'm in denial LOL

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  • Faithonfire
    Faithonfire Member Posts: 85
    edited November 2017

    hi ladies, I'm so sorry you are dealing with this nightmare too.

    I don't have a radial scar but I had a sneaky tumor hiding behind my muscle to my left armpit that my primary doctor found and my gynecologist missed after years of testing breast nipple calcifications that they were benign and would remain so making removal unnecessary.

    Ok that was the industry standard of care recommendation at the time because it was not known that it could turn in to stage 3c invasive ductal carcinoma if left untreated. It hit my lymph system only on the left side fortunately but I was literally months away from untreatable had I not trusted my family doctor and let him check what he needed to behind my chest muscle that day!

    It seems I have had a ton of strangers sticking their hands in my armpit ever since but I look forward to being able to keep it from ever happening again after this is all over! I'm ticklish!

    I was officially diagnosed in June and started chemotherapy in July, and I will finish in 3 more weekly treatments yay!!!

    We also found out I am braca 2 positive and that allowed many more of my family to get tested for that during their own treatment for breast cancer also even years after treatment so I am glad we can share the information with the same genetics department for so many of us.

    I was very lucky to have a strong support system for such a life altering diagnosis but I still struggle with my team of doctors about what I am and am not willing to live through during treatment and that is a very important conversation to have. It changed everything for me and helped me take control and make sure my pain was managed appropriately during chemotherapy so I could focus and plan my rapidly upcoming surgeries.

    I decided to have a double mastectomy after additional cancer was found in my right breast underneath the nipple structure after an upside down open chest MRI machine. All other tests were done on my back and hid tumor underneath nipple organ. I also have over 5 women in our family that tried to save one breast and had to have it removed in under 10 years for second cancer diagnosis. That was much more comforting to me knowing I could be proactive and never face this kind of cancer again because of what we now know about it.

    It does not change my other future risks for different kinds of cancer but I know this information has helped so many people that I hope it helps find a cure someday but until then I have found myself fighting along with some of the finest people I have ever met to change antiquated industry standards of care and put a face to the concequence of false information being trusted by loyal patients.

    I don't care who's fault it is or was, as long as it is recognized and prevented from happening again without accountability for the person making those industry standard decisions instead of the healthcare staff doing the best job possible with the only information they are given and options to care for it.

    Now that we know better it's time to do better and put morality over legal liability!

    I wish you all the best of luck and strength to seek second opinions if you feel the need to. I had a very hard time with that but am still searching for a breast reconstruction doctor willing to replace my breasts during same surgery as tumor removal and finding nobody qualified yet that will reconstruct me in under a year after completing radiation treatments.

    That wasn't the story I got when I agreed to chemotherapy before surgery, and if radiation prevents me from being able to be reconstructed I see absolutely no point in doing it at all!!

    If I can't be reconstructed I will simply not have any surgery at all and die with the parts God gave me rather than wake up mutilated because I can't find a competent breast surgeon that knows how to do a skin saving mastectomy directly after tumor removal!

    There is not a doctor on the planet that can convince me anything less is acceptable after everything I have been forced to endure in a medical setting to survive and that is one decision they all cannot argue with.

    I hope my footsteps make the path a little easier for anyone unfortunate enough to have to follow them, my whole family hopesthey will have better options than I was given at the time if nothing else good comes from all this.


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  • Concerned2018
    Concerned2018 Member Posts: 65
    edited December 2017

    It is 2am & thank you for posting about your experience. I hope this is finding you doing better. It's about a year from when you posted and I just got news that I have a radial scar, but will need surgery… They had done a 3D mammo assisted core needle biopsy. Terrified that what they initially implied was benign may potential not be. How are you doing and do you have any advice for me? I don't even know what questions to ask and the more I read online the more technical words I realize I don't have a clue what they mean.

    The radiologists have been confusing at the limited info they share. Ex: The first call I got about my biopsy results was from the radiologist who did not do the scan and at first she said it was benign, but it doesn't say benign on my report!! It says "questionable" :-( & then she told me in the past they believed the majority of radial scars were malignant but now they believe that the majority of benign. How can The pendulum swing so far in the other direction?

    And your post is making me especially nervous, as I have had months of pain as well as tingling/strange sensations & some itching...my doctors kept ignoring and telling me pain is not a sign of cancer and just deal with it. :-(

    Also, after the biopsy I have developed some sort of red bumpy itchy rash which I've been taking Benadryl and Benadryl cream and the bumps seem to go down a little bit today and the redness seems to be a little less, but now it's 2:15 AM and sing like hell and I took a Benadryl and a Lunesta. Anyone out there reading, thank you for being there for us. I don't have any friends I could talk to about any of this. It's a bit terrifying… No, that would be an understatement. I also have bouts of crying, but again, very little support system, so I'm going through this on my own. I hope I don't sound selfish because I know many on here have been already diagnosed, and I am still praying and hoping for a benign result. It's only slightly less terrifying though... or at least that's how it seems at the moment

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  • Concerned2018
    Concerned2018 Member Posts: 65
    edited December 2017

    Hi - hope this finds you doing well. I read your post with interest. I have been having pain to the left of breast towards armpit and I have asked/"joked" with my drs. asking what type of physician to see as there are no "armpit doctors" -- I don't have a good primary - my Ob-gyn asked me pointblank why I was coming to HIM to ask about my breasts (that dumb-founded me) -- and mammos/mri's/u/s may or may not be able to fully visualize the area of lymph nodes, etc to to left of breast. HOW did your primary discover? Few of my doctors EVER "touch me" (unless I ask them to please check and even then, they seem reluctant as they don't know how to feel/check as they touch patients so seldom these days. (Much easier to write script for blood test or scan). How did you doctor figure it out? Thanks.(Any other women on here have the same experience of few doctors doing a "physical exam" anymore?

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  • MTwoman
    MTwoman Member Posts: 2,704
    edited December 2017

    concerned, if you are concerned about an area close to your breast, you can go to see a Breast Specialist. Many ob/gyns are not specialized in breasts, they are more actively involved in uteri and or babies. Have you had any imaging? That would be a good place to start and something that your ob/gyn can order.

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  • Linda19152
    Linda19152 Member Posts: 36
    edited January 2018

    are radial scars referring to scar tissue?

    my right reconstructed breast now is being

    diagnosed with malignancy when i know it is loaded

    with scar tissue from the surgery

    can someone comment?

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited January 2018

    No LInda, what they call "radial scar" is a complexing sclerosing lesion. Not scar tissue like you are referring to.

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  • Jaimeober
    Jaimeober Member Posts: 1
    edited November 2018

    Hello- I'm 33 and was diagnosed with a Radial Scar a few weeks ago. I'm going on Wednesday for my lumpectomy at Mass General hospital. In addition to the anxiety, I can tell my lump has almost doubled in size in a little over a month and I have a dull ache now that wasn't there before. I also have been told by the latest doctor I probably don't have anything to worry about; but I can't feel confident until it's out and fully assessed. I have a 5 and 3 year old at home; I'm trying to keep it out of my mind but Wednesday can't come fast enough. Hope you are doing ok, you will be in my thoughts.

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