Hello
I have had my first annual mammogram 4 weeks ago and I am still waiting for my results. I had surgery last year, lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy and now on letrozole.
I rang the breast nurse this week and she told me it is still waiting on reporting. Does this me it has been sat there for 4 weeks and no one has looked at it!
This seems to be taking a long time and I am worried that if there is anything wrong time is moving on.
Last year following my routine 3 yearly mammogram I was recalled within 10 days. Am I worrying unnecessarily?
Hi @aug I’m sure that the nurses will be along to answer your question after the weekend but until then this is what happened to me last July when I had my first post-treatment mammogram, which may help to put your mind at rest.
After the mammogram was done I was asked by the nurse to sit outside whilst the radiographer/doctor looked at the images taken to make sure the quality was acceptable. After a few minutes, the doctor came out and said I could go and then said “would you like to see the images” to which I said yes. I saw where the tumour marker was still in place and the difference in how breast tissue and fat look (at 67 at the time, my boobs aren’t very dense) and she said that she couldn’t see anything to worry about. The salient point, however, is that she told me that two doctors have to review the images in case one misses something (if there is a dispute a third, more senior, doctor arbitrates) and, on that day, there was no second doctor on hand so she told me that I would receive a letter in due course. I never received the letter and when I mentioned this to the BC nurse some months later she said that for BC patients having mammograms, the NHS protocol is that a qualified radiology oncologist/doctor must be on hand to approve the quality of the images and his/her findings must be corroborated by a peer-level colleague. The nurse said in that case, any anomalies that could be spotted by mammograms would be spotted so the absence of the letter shouldn’t be a concern. It IS a concern to me as a retired lawyer as I am anal about primary documentation paper trails but having had the impromptu review session with the doctor, I wasn’t overly concerned.
There may be differences between health authorities but if the nurse was correct, your images would have been reviewed on the day and might just be waiting for the second reviewer to corroborate. I absolutely agree that this is completely unacceptable and extremely frustrating and you would be justified in chasing it up until you get a satisfactory response. If it drags on, you could go to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service at the hospital and ask them to intercede for you?
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Thank you so much for your prompt reply.
I just hope that the BN contacts me on Monday with a response just to confirm the findings.
If not I will be going to PALS to ask them to look at the processes.
Hi @aug , i had my first annual mammogram in february and, after much chasing, finally have a telephone appt next week to get the results. Love Tulip x
My cancer hospital takes ages ….once took 8 weeks……like previous PP said…it needs a second viewer….if the first view is ok they can sit in a pile I think waiting……but no news is good news …the year my annual mammogram was dodgy…I had a phone call after 3 days giving me an appointment for a follow up for the next day……I actually had a recurrence that time……so there was no waiting….every time I’ve had a clear mammo I have received a letter….between 3 and 8 weeks later
Thank you for your reply. Hopefully no news is good news 
Thank you, I am feeling more reassured by your responses. Hope you are keeping well x
I was in the same position, I eventually phoned BCN after leaving messages on secretary’s answer phone with no response. BCN apologised and gave me my results and then I received letter
Apparently secretary was off sick
I’m sorry but someone else should have been picking up her calls, it’s an anxious time waiting for results
It certainly is an anxious time and I really can’t rest until I know if all is well.
Hopefully someone will contact me this week.
Hope you are well x
Hi aug,
Thank you for posting. It is understandable that you are worried waiting for your annual mammogram results. Four weeks can feel like a very long time and many people find waiting for results difficult. As @Tigress says all mammograms need to be reported on by 2 radiologists, and depending on staffing levels, the time this takes can vary from unit to unit, as @cat15 and @max26 have experienced.
Some units will write to you with the results and others may provide the results over the phone as in @tulip’s case. It may help to call your breast care nurse again to explain your concerns. If they are still unable to provide you with your results then contacting PALS as you have suggested, can be helpful.
You may also find our information on managing anxiety and worry helpful. You may also be interested in our Moving Forward resources that are for people who have had a diagnosis of primary breast cancer and have come to the end of their main hospital treatment within the last 2 years. They include our Moving Forward booklet and Moving Forward courses. You can attend Moving Forward either at our face-to-face course or take part by joining online. Find a course near you or register for an online course via the links above or call us on 03457 077 1893.
Do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to more support and information if necessary. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks. The number is 0808 800 6000, (Relay UK -prefix 18001).
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Best wishes
Katy
Breast Care Nurse
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