Biennial vs. Annual Mammography: Which Is Better? https://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/0415/p1024.html

"The authors conclude that biennial mammography maintains most of the benefit of annual screening with less risk of adverse effects. Screening biennially from 50 to 69 years of age yields the greatest improvements in breast cancer mortality reduction and life-years gained. Some additional benefit could be achieved by extending the screening years."

You are jumping too far ahead again, trying to estimate the size of a cancer of someone who wasn't screened for 2 years. But there's been no diagnosis of cancer.

This is a call back. Very common. 95% chance of not being cancer. Someone who has never been called back before is damned lucky. I've had call backs more often than not, and while I have been diagnosed with breast cancer, over the years most of my call backs turned out to be nothing and even most of my biopsies turned out to be nothing.

As for breast cancer growth, while there are exceptions, most breast cancers are slow growing. It's estimated that most breast cancers have been in the breast for many years (possibly 5, in some cases even 10) before they become large enough to be detected by screening. This is why the study I linked above supported biennial mammograms.

You are working through a bunch of "what ifs" based on a scenario that hasn't happened yet and hopefully won't happen at all. And if it does happen, the "what ifs" are pointless and harmful, because there is nothing in the past that can be changed. Whatever will happen will happen. If your friend lands on the short side of the odds and it is cancer, she will deal with it, just as everyone here has.

Barely below normal range platelets on one blood test - how does that have anything to do with getting a call back after a mammogram?

When is your friend's diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound (assuming that's the next step here)?

anonymous_852456

Wow, you really need to take several thousand steps back. One, there's no difference between instinct and imagination. They're both in your head, both imaginary, and both completely irrelevant to reality. Two, blood test levels can vary widely for a lot of reasons, like not drinking as much water on one day. Second blood test was normal, why on earth are you still stressing over it? That makes no sense. Three, I really, REALLY hope you are not sharing these extreme thoughts and fears with your mother, nobody should have someone else's stress (especially when it's for no reason!) dumped on them. If a relative did that to me, I'd block them. Possibly permanently. Even if your mother did have a health issue (which probably will be inevitable at some point as she ages), she would need her daughter to be supportive, not constantly freaking out over what-if scenarios.

Breathe.