Discordant Biopsy Results?

Yes. I flunked a 3-D mammogram, got called back for another one, had an ultrasound which showed nothing at all, then a stereotactic biopsy which came back negative. My radiologist put her foot down, yelled "discordant," and sent me to a breast surgeon.

I had an excisional biopsy earlier this week and my followup is next Thursday, when I will FINALLY get some results.

I've wrestled with this whole concept since it all started. If this comes back benign, I will be happy as a clam, but there is also a temptation to say, "What in the HELL is this?" Excisional biopsies are not exactly a tiny surgery (at least mine wasn't), and it seems crazy to have surgery over nothing.

That said, here's what is happening.

They are finding lots of teensy little bastards (my personal pet name for the thing). This is good. It's good because they are largely very survivable if positive. Some of those little things would simply go away all by themselves without treatment and you'd never even know you ever had it, but they have no way to determine which will go away and which won't. Finding them earlier means finding more of them.

There is lots of research being done to try to come up with testing that will say, "Gee, this little DCIS is never gonna do anything, so leave it be" or "This is iffy, probably it should be watched closely for a year or so," but right now there is no such test, and there certainly is nothing that they can do to determine anything like that without actual tissue samples.

The name of the game, and the only name, is surgery. Get it out of there.

If 80% of biopsies are benign, then I have a 20% chance that my followup will be less than delightful news. That might be news that saves my life. If it's benign, then I'm one of the 80% who "wasted" her time and had surgery for "nothing."

But it's not nothing. If I happen to be one of those four (out of five), I can look over at the others and know that the four negatives created a situation that led directly to an early diagnosis for that one. And I'll do that happily and without griping about it. Women's lives are being saved because of all this.

Yes, I did two and a half years ago. I had an MRI (I have one every year since 2007 when I had BC for the first time). Based on the MRI, the radiologist said I needed a biopsy. I was told the results were benign. A few days later I received a phone call saying the results were discordant and I needed an MRI guided biopsy. The radiologist took so many samples and it is a good thing she did because one of the final samples she took showed B9. The area was only 4mm which is why I guess it was difficult to get the spot when doing the biopsy. I'm hoping your results turn out B9. 

I had an excisional biopsy done a week ago. I go back for the final verdict in three days. To say that this is nerve-wracking is an understatement.

I will say this about the excisional biopsy. It was more than I expected. The incision is larger (halfway around my areola) than I thought it would be. The entire end of my breast turned purple. They inserted a radioactive seed prior to surgery and I thanked them by bleeding all over the x-ray table. He said he removed about 14 grams of tissue, which is about a half ounce. Of course, he had to get to the spot. Naturally it wasn't right below the skin.

So, for me, it's still hurry up and wait. The only good part about this is that whatever it is is GONE.

Benign. BENIGN.

That might be the most beautiful word in the English language.

I have a massive appreciation for this entire process and every one of you that has faced this that I never had before. Thank you all so much for being here. The anxiety level, as you all know, reaches epic proportions. My husband and I both started crying in the office when my surgeon told us the news.

"Proliferative fibrocystic changes." That's it. Nothing else.

No matter what the future holds for me, I will never look at pink ribbons the same way nor will I ever skip another mammogram.

I actually feel a bit guilty.