6.4cm non-mass on MRI, Biopsy scheduled

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Kelli4600
Kelli4600 Member Posts: 4
edited March 2021 in Waiting for Test Results

Hello,

At the end of January I noticed dimpling under nipple of my right breast. Diagnostic mammo and ultrasound revealed a 2.5cm area of distortion and dense breasts. I had to wait till March 1 for an MRI for a better view of the distortion prior to ultrasound guided biopsy. The MRI showed no significant enhancement in the area of distortion with ultrasound guided biopsy recommended. However, a 6.4 cm segmental heterogeneous non-mass enhancement appear in the same breast, with rapid onset and persistent/plateau kinetics. I am now having to wait nearly another month for an MRI guided biopsy of this area. I'm 35 years old with no known family history of breast cancer and this was my first mammogram/US/MRI, so no prior scans to compare. The waiting is driving me insane. I have done so much research online and I have not come across anything near this size. Has anyone else had a similar MRI finding?

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  • Redcanoe
    Redcanoe Member Posts: 131
    edited March 2021

    I havent read of anything similar- that's a good thing! My mass was palpable and detected on both ultrasound and mammogram. I'm sorry you are in the nightmare of waiting. It is SO SO hard. Chances are good that you will get a benign result. I hope time passes quickly before your biopsy.

  • jennyjo20
    jennyjo20 Member Posts: 41
    edited March 2021

    Hi Kelli4600,

    After being diagnosed with breast cancer, and in order to ensure I was eligible for a lumpectomy, my breast surgeon ordered an MRI to make sure the known cancer was the only area of concern. That MRI showed a second area of "non-mass enhancement" that was over 5 centimeters. Like you, I had an agonizing wait for an MRI guided biopsy which would determine whether I could keep my breast or not. Thankfully, it turned out to be benign "fibroglandular tissue" which was what both of my doctors predicted (which I took to mean was a common finding). I know how impossible it is not to worry while waiting. But I hope my experience can give you some peace of mind until you get your results.

  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited March 2021

    Kelli4600, sorry you are here and worried, but glad you found us!

    Check out the article What Mammograms Show: Calcifications, Cysts, Fibroadenomas from the main Breastcancer.org site. It describes some of the benign conditions that can come from testing, and may reassure you until you get your results.

    Good luck!

    The Mods

  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited March 2021

    Kelli, from what I've seen in posts on this site, it's actually not that unusual to have large areas of non-mass enhancement. This is because, as jenny's example shows, non-mass enhancement on an MRI can simply be fibrocystic breast tissue, and that can often be quite extensive. There are a number of fibrocystic and other benign conditions that show up as non-mass enhancement.

    Of course, non-mass enhancement can also be breast cancer, which is why you are being sent for the biopsy. IF non-mass enhancement is malignant, it is often DCIS, which is a non-invasive Stage 0 breast cancer, and is sometimes considered a pre-cancer. To my understanding (which is limited, I admit; I'm just a patient, not a doctor), both the size of the area of non-mass enhancement and the 'segmental' description would lean this more towards DCIS or a benign condition, rather than an invasive breast cancer. But that's just my guess, and only a biopsy can determine what this really is.

    When is your biopsy? Good luck and please let us know how it goes.


  • tntnsd
    tntnsd Member Posts: 137
    edited March 2021

    Hi Kelli

    I had somewhat similar findings in my MRI in early January

    My initial diagnosis from ultrasound-guided biopsy reported only 3.6 cm of total area of DCIS. My doctor ordered MRI to make sure we didn’t miss anything else; the MRI came back with “extensive, intense, nonmasslike enhancement” with indication that the DCIS area at least 6cm. The good news is after surgery, final pathology report confirmed it is all DCIS,, no invasive.

    I hope your biopsy will be benign. But if not, it is totally possible that DCIS is all that is.

    Hang in there. The waiting is terrible part

  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited March 2021

    Welcome Kelli! My diagnostic mammogram showed around 3 cm of DCIS. The MRI showed about 6 cm - combo of DCIS and non-mass enhancement. The area of DCIS was down to just over a cm on final pathology after surgery. The remainder of that 6 cm was full of benign and precancerous stuff and lots of different kinds though benign and pre-.... Best and keep us updated please!

  • Kelli4600
    Kelli4600 Member Posts: 4
    edited March 2021

    Thank you all for your responses of experience and kind words! I go on Tuesday for my biopsy. Im praying for just fibroglandular tissue, but the segmental description has me worried. Hopefully I'll have my results next Friday, I'll update then.

    Thank you again!

  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited March 2021

    Good luck on Tuesday!


  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited March 2021

    Best! Let us know....

  • Kelli4600
    Kelli4600 Member Posts: 4
    edited March 2021

    okay so I just got my results! Benign!

    Sclerosing Adenosis, focal usual duct hyperplasia, fibrocystic change including columnar cell change and microcalcifications. Negative for atypia or malignancy.

    Follow up MRI for stability in 6 months.

    Any thoughts on this pathology?

  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited March 2021

    That's great news! And the pathology is good - standard fibrocystic stuff with no high risk conditions.

    Congratulations!


  • jennyjo20
    jennyjo20 Member Posts: 41
    edited March 2021

    That's great, Kelli! Thank you for coming back to share your good news with us!

  • 2019whatayear
    2019whatayear Member Posts: 767
    edited March 2021

    Great news! Thanks for letting us know!

  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited March 2021

    Super Kelli! That is fantastic news! Thanks for letting us know....

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