"Crease" in mammogram

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1

Just been for my second annual mammogram since treatment ended. First time its hurt (on side with no surgery).
Also, mammographer had a look at the picutres she was taking and said "there’s a crease, i’ll need to do that again.

  1. Why would a mammogram hurt when it hasnt on the previous 3 occassions?
  2. What exactly does a crease on a mammogram mean?
    I asked if i ahould be concerned but she gave absolutely nothing away saying id get a letter in 3-4 weeks.
    I am now very anxious that this crease could be a sign of cancer in my other breast and dont want to be ill for the next 3-4 weeks worrying about it.
    Please help
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2

I’ve not heard of this before but I think she might mean that there’s a crease on the image - that it’s to do with how your breast tissue was being squeezed between the plates perhaps folded over on itself in some way which could result in an incomplete picture and so she had to repeat it in order to get a full view of your breast. It could also explain the fact that it was hurting you . You could perhaps ask your BCN for clarification and understand the circumstances they might be able to look out for your results so you might get them sooner . Xx

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3

Hi, I had breast cancer three years ago and in my last mammogram in March this year I also had to have it redone and my radiographer said the same - I had a crease . Two weeks later letter came to say all clear nothing suspicious this time etc.
Good luck I hope you hear the same
Xx

4

Hi Luskentyre1,

Thank you for posting.

It’s understandable that you feel anxious following your mammogram which was painful. Discomfort or pain is common during a mammogram. There are various causes but can sometimes be caused by the way the breast is compressed meaning it can be painful one particular occasion and not on others. Any pain should improve soon afterwards. If the pain hasn’t got better, do talk to your breast care nurse or GP.

Sometimes the skin or breast tissue of the breast can fold, like a crease in material, during a mammogram and this can affect the image. It sounds like this may have happened in your case. It’s caused by the position of the breast in the mammogram machine. When this happens, there is no cause for concern, but the mammogram may need to be done again like @sparkle0103 explained, so that a clear image is obtained.

However, if you think you may continue to worry, you may want to call your breast care nurse, as @JoanneN suggests, to talk this through.

We offer a range of free supportive services for anyone affected by breast cancer which may be of interest for you. You can find details about all of these services in the link.

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Breast Care Nurse

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