Growing Mass now Bi-Rads 4a - unable to biopsy before

FabFive
FabFive Member Posts: 14
edited August 2019 in Waiting for Test Results

I have a strong family history of breast cancer with every woman in my mom’s family having breast cancer, including my mom and my sister at 36. I am 38 and have been get mammograms and MRIs for 8 years now. Last year they found a small non mass enhancement on my MRI measuring .6cm. They decided to watch it and scan again in 6 months. At the 6 month mark we scanned again and the mass had grown to 1.2 cm so we decided to biopsy. They tried with ultrasound and were unable to find it so they tried and MRI guided biopsy and were unable to get a biopsy of it still. So they sent me home and said let’s scan again in 6 months. Well we scanned again today and now it has grown to 2.5 cm. So they want to try and biopsy again. Has anyone had anything like this before? Is there any chance they will be more likely to biopsy it this time? This has been the longest year with still no answers! I’m so frustrated with the whole thing.

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Comments

  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited August 2019

    My advice is that if the core needle biopsy is unsuccessful again, that you request an excisional (surgical) biopsy.

    The purpose of the 6 month follow-up is to check minimally suspicious lesions (2% risk of cancer or less) for stability. If the mass or area of suspicion remains stable, the likelihood that it is cancer goes down even further. But if the mass grows, the risk that it is cancer increases. You've had 2 6-month follow-ups and your area of suspicion has grown between each 6 month follow-up. This doesn't mean that it is cancer - and hopefully it's not - but at this point a biopsy must be done to find out. A surgical biopsy is always an option when a needle biopsy isn't feasible

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  • FabFive
    FabFive Member Posts: 14
    edited August 2019

    Thank you! With all the family cancer we have dealt with we have never had to do a surgical biopsy so it’s not something I’ve dealt with before. And when I went in last time they tried for an hour to do the core needle biopsy and then the doctor doing it basically told me I had over reacted and was being paranoid even though my high risk doctor was the one that insisted on the biopsy in the first place. I went home feeling like crap so I never pushed for something else to be done, I just let them push me out another 6 months.

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  • Boston12
    Boston12 Member Posts: 22
    edited August 2019

    Please insist on a biopsy. Ten years ago I was in the 2% category and my doctors didn't tell me and didn't follow up properly. If it's a problem, it's easier to deal with at the earliest possible point.

    Many years ago I had an excision biopsy on a benign cyst and it wasn't that bad.

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  • FabFive
    FabFive Member Posts: 14
    edited August 2019

    So I went in today and they were able to get a biopsy from the MRI - yay! They said it was so much bigger and a brighter enhancement from before so they were able to find it. Now I am just in the waiting game. The radiologist wouldn't give me any hint as to whether he thought it was cancer or not so now I am just in the waiting game.

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