Biopsy cancelled and now MRI needed?
Hi everyone, would appreciate some perspective here.
46 yo female, have gotten annual 3D mammograms since age 40. Have gotten several callbacks for ultrasounds over the years, but all checked out.
My screening mammogram found a new, low-density circumscribed slightly lobulated mass in upper outer mid left breast. No additional areas of concern found. I have dense breasts.
Extensive ultrasound was performed, but no suspicious cystic or solid mass was found, and no focal shadowing or distortion. Was referred for a biopsy.
Yesterday I went for the biopsy. It was the 3D Affirm stereotactic needle core biopsy. The biopsy never happened - the report language reads "routine preprocedure imaging was performed and failed to confidently reproduce the mass...Therefore 3D ML, MLD, and spot compression views were obtained. These repeat images failed to confidently reproduce the mass in orthogonal planes, especially on the spot compression views. Therefore, since the mammogram finding was felt to be somewhat equivocal, biopsy was cancelled. Recommend breast MRI with and without gadolinium for further evaluation." The final assessment is 0 - incomplete, but I was told it was a BI-RAD 4 (since that daignosis is needed to warrant a breast MRI).
I now have several more weeks until I can get in for the MRI, which sucks. It's already been a month since my mammogram.
However, given my reports to date, am I wrong to think that this is likely to be a benign mass? Should I push back on the MRI and ask instead for another mammogram in a few months? Thanks for any insight!
Comments
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MRI's are much more sensitive then a mammogram and will help highlight the are of concern, if it's a concern. The one draw back of the MRI is that it's to sensitive- so if you have cancer it's VERY good at finding it. It's also very good at finding things that aren't cancer and make you worry about it being cancer.
In your situation an MRI seems like a better choice then a mammogram since they aren't the best at dense breast tissue. My tumour could not be seen on mammogram (I'm 39 with dense breast.
It sounds like your care team is doing the right steps with choosing an MRI since it's impossible to biopsy a lesion they can't find. If the MRI shows concern they can use a MRI to do a biopsy too.
Best of luck to you!
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I don't think you are wrong about it most likely being a benign mass. The MRI is more sensitive, but it is also another view of this area. So it's either going to be another biopsy or an all clear. Best wishes to you.
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Thanks everyone for the feedback. I had my MRI today and it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. Of course, now I need to go back and get an MRI-biopsy which isn't scheduled until early January. Guess I need to keep focused on the positive over the holidays!
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