Did Ultrasound NOT catch your Invasive Ductal Carcinoma?

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Jons_girl
Jons_girl Member Posts: 696
edited March 2018 in IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

Hello Friends: I am new here and have a question (see below). I am not trying to be insensitive to those of you who have had mastectomies. So please don't take my question the wrong way.

The reason I ask the question below is I have been told by a very reputable source that larger breasted women are much more difficult for the ultrasound waves to be able to get all the way through the breast tissue. Smaller breasted women they can see more easily through the tissue, this is what I have been told.

Also Ultrasounds historically miss Lobular Cancer. MRI I think is the only diagnostic tool that can find lobular cancer reliably. My question is for only those that have had Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.

I am very small breasted....usually wear bra size A. So after reading your stories on my last post.....I am now wondering....could they have missed something in one of my breasts? Or is it just because the women they didn't catch their cancer on ultrasound were large breasted women? So I am curious if this really makes a difference.

I am seriously considering having a MRI done at my next follow up appt. instead of ultrasound. I hate the thought of having to have IV stuff put in me during the MRI! I don't understand why they can't just simply do a MRI without it. I know it lights up the cancer but I hate IV's!!!


MY QUESTION:

To those of you who have had Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and who had a ultrasound MISS your cancer: (I am hoping I am not overstepping with this question)

At the time of your ultrasound were you large breasted?


Thank you in advance for your answers. Appreciate you all!!

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  • farmerlucy
    farmerlucy Member Posts: 3,985
    edited March 2018

    I was not particularly large breasted B/C but my tumor was 5 cm deep at 12 o’clock in extremely dense tissue. Nothing saw it. (Well an MRI may have, but it was passed or missed in the wire guided excisional biopsy.)

    If you have extremely dense breasts it would be reasonable to ask for an MRI.

    My breast surgeon said that often times things aren’t picked up until they are around a cm.

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  • Jons_girl
    Jons_girl Member Posts: 696
    edited March 2018

    farmerlucy so your surgeon said even on MRI they don't usually catch things til they are 1cm? Im thankful I felt my tumor it was 3mm. Mammo saw nothing of course Ultrasound saw it pretty obviously. But it was located close to the surface so I wonder about deeper tissue. Yes I have extremely dense tissue. That's what my mammo report said I think. They didn't see my tumor at all on mammo. Ultrasound was obvious tho and showed blood source very clearly. Just not sure how deep ultrasound goes down (waves).


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  • Peregrinelady
    Peregrinelady Member Posts: 1,019
    edited March 2018
    No, my lump was not seen on mammogram or ultrasound and I was not that large. (I wore a C cup bra).
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  • farmerlucy
    farmerlucy Member Posts: 3,985
    edited March 2018

    For you to have caught a 3mm tumor is amazing. Well done.

    Before I was dx I figured because I did blue ribbon screening I was good. Post dx I learned that screening is not perfect, though MRI should pick up the vast vast majority of invasive cancers.

    We can only do what we can do. I'm excited to watch new modalities of screening come on board, especially for my DD. The liquid biopsy is not that far off.

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  • Crosbyfan1987
    Crosbyfan1987 Member Posts: 16
    edited March 2018

    mine was seen on everything but I still had to have biopsy.

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  • Nancy2581
    Nancy2581 Member Posts: 1,234
    edited March 2018

    I had a 2.8 cm that did show up on ultrasound, but not on mammo

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  • CindyNY
    CindyNY Member Posts: 1,022
    edited March 2018

    We sound similar, small breasted & dense tissue. Mammo showed nothing; US showed it clearly. But I was scheduled for MRI right from dx; without contrast & with. Both breasts get looked at. Nothing else showed up.

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  • Jons_girl
    Jons_girl Member Posts: 696
    edited March 2018

    Perigrinela: Thank you so much for your response. Did you have dense breast tissue as well?

    Farmerlucy: Yes I feel very fortunate to have found my tumor...it was very small. However it was also very close to the top of my skin on the outer edge. So my question I am trying to ponder is.....IS it possible there is something deeper in my tissue that wasn't caught on the ultrasound? Or would ultrasound do a fine job finding everything? I haven't had a MRI. I am a A cup so very small breasted

    Did you have dense breast tissue Farmer lucy? I'd love to read your story/experience. Your tumor wasn't caught I am assuming on mammo. Maybe you have already shared your story. I agree new modalities of screening need to happen. I look forward to that for the future. I have a daughter who is in college and she has had a ultrasound bilaterally which when they did that found she had a fibroadenoma they are watching currently for 2 yrs. She is very large breasted though and so I wonder for her if having a mri every few years would be a good idea. No mammos every again for either my dd or I. Those are useless! My tissue is so dense they cannot see a thing.....so stupid in my perspective for women like me.

    Nancy: I am assuming you had dense breast tissue....since it didn't show up on mammo. Thank goodness they saw it on ultrasound. That is what happened to me. I am just wondering if I should have a mri....or if ultrasound covers everything just fine. So I am seeing what others have done and what seems to work for other smaller chested women.

    CindyNY: Yes we do sound very similar. So you had a MRI as well. They did the MRI with contract and without it? Can you explain that. I am nervous to have a MRI mainly because of the needle. I hate IV's. =( But also wondering if it is necessary because I am small chested. If it doesn't cover seeing everything though I will do a MRI. =)

    So glad your MRI showed nothing else! That is a blessing! Sounds like your tumor was caught pretty early too. That is a good thing! Thank you for sharing! I think if I had never felt my tumor (it was close to the top of my skin) I am not sure when they would have caught it. Because it wasn't seen on mammo at all. Extremely dense breast tissue.....at 50! I am not a young woman with dense tissue. =)

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