So I was diagnosed after mammogram biopsy etc in October. Initially they were considering vacuum assisted excision as part of a trial. I was then told I was not suitable for SMALL trial due to dense breast tissue and the fact that I would require MRI. When I met the surgeon however I was advised that the multi disciplinary team had agree no MRI necessary. I’ve had a successful WLE and SNLB, am awaiting Radiotherapy. I continue to have a niggle in my head about the MRI and whether my breast tissue could be hiding more cancer- the first one was not palpable and needed seed markers etc to be seen during surgery. Has anyone else had this experience? Can I request MRI? Or should I just be confident of treatment? Could I get MRI at next mammogram in a years time to be sure? Any advice welcome. Thanks
Hi,
They always put markers in when they do a biopsy, that’s to guide the surgeon if you need a lumpectomy.
They planted them in me, I had a lumpectomy no MRI, and I have dense breasts.
It’s nothing to worry about!
Trish
If it’s something that you are going to worry about I would speak to your team. My surgeon was great and agreed to annual surveillance MRI’s. I know that they can over diagnose for want of a better word but I’m ok with that. I had WLE, sentinel node biopsy and 20 radiotherapy (5 were boost sessions to the base of the tumour site where margins were just ok.
Wishing you all the best
I guess maybe you’d need an MRI for the vacuum procedure if you have dense breast tissue, as they may not be able to rely so much on visual evidence? Having said that, I think that an MRI is useful if you have dense breast tissue so might be worth asking for a follow up one. I had a lump which didn’t show up on mammogram, it was seen on ultrasound however. They did an MRI scan where it was clearly visible, plus another one which the mammogram hadn’t shown up. I think dense breast tissue was the reason. If your lump was visible on mammogram you might be fine.
Do you know what type of cancer you had ? Mine was Grade 1 Stage 1 ER and PR + tubular . Mine also was not palpable - even the BCN couldn’t find it and after 1 failed procedure ( ironically VAE on the SMALL trial) then lumpectomy SNB I was told that it was not more than 10mm in size . It showed up well on the mammogram at 8mm and less well on ultrasound. I didn’t have an MRI I did have markers put in and a radio frequency tag to locate it . Tags or seeds are routine - as far as I understand it pretty much everyone gets one . The fact that your cancer showed up on mammogram despite you having dense breasts is a good thing believe me.
If they thought you were suitable for the SMALL trial they must have considered that there would be a very low risk of your cancer spreading . The people who get an MRI tend to be those who are higher grade or who have lower grade cancers that are harder to fully assess on mammogram such as lobular .
It’s unsettling when a plan changes and after surgery many of us are left with these what if ? feelings and questions. If you’re offered a Holistic Needs Assessment or have ways of contacting your BCN you could ask questions around this . After you have radiotherapy you might find the Moving Forwards course helpful. I had questions I worried about for some time but eventually got clarification. Xx