Hi
2weeks ago I found a lump in my right breast, had a hospital appointment for last Wednesday, had the mammogram and ultrasound, and then they told me that they has found calcification in the same breast. Within a hour they had done a core biopsy, and I have to go back next week for my results. Really worried as everything that I have read about having the core biopsy leads me to believe that it could be bad news. I’m 42, any advice would be helpful.
Hi Fairydust, we can all totally understand how worrying this is for u, we’ve all been there & it’s a really horrible time. But drs always err on the side of caution & just because they did a core biopsy doesn’t mean for certain that it’s cancer. We’ve had a lot of ladies on here in your position & they’ve come back to tell us that everything was ok. But even if it’s not the news you’re hoping for, the treatment now is fantastic.
It’s no good me telling u not to worry but if u have any questions or niggles post them on here & we’ll try & help u. U can always ring the helpline for advice as well, they’re really good.
Good luck with your results next week,make sure u take someone with u as two ears are always better than one whatever the news is, let us know how u get on,take care.x
Hi, what a worrying week its going to be for you. Calcifications are not cancer, but a sign that there are changes in your breast so along with a lump it is inevitable that they would want to do a biopsy to see if those changes are benign or cancer.
Just keep the two facts that 9 out of 10 lumps are not cancer and 50% of biopsies are negative.
Of course you are bound to worry that you are one of the unlucky ones, and i bet your mind has raced over all the treatment possibilities already. I wish i knew the statistics for people who did not need chemotherapy, because although a lumpectomy and a course of radiotherapy can disrupt your life for a couple of months the treatment can be relatively painless and easy.
Starting to panic is completely normal. And the whole who to tell question is a good one. You dont want to worry people, but if you do need treatment people close to you might be upset that you had not told them you needed tests. Especially if you are normally an open person.
Anyway hope this week is not too stressful. Come back with any questions or to express any worries you suddenly have, and especially to tell us the results–we love good news
Had my follow up appointment today, results came back inconclusive, as doctor said they could not see the calcification, but it was clearly showing on the mammogram etc. So now have to go back next week to have another biopsy, doctor said if this is inconclusive again, they will remove the area, please can someone tell me what this involves. Feeling frustrated, as just want this to end.
Hi fairydust,
I had to have two biopsies done as my first one was inconclusive. The doctors kept telling me that my lump looked suspicious but when the results came back from first biopsy they didn’t tie in with what was being seen on the mammogram and ultrasound. Unfortunately the second one did come back showing I had IDC. The doctors really need to know exactly what they are seeing so they can proceed with the appropriate surgery. It is such a nuisance having to have two biopsies done as it is just prolonging the waiting time and by the time they had finished with me I was black and blue all over. I have just had a WLE & SLNB and get my results next Tuesday. I do hope everything turns out well for you and all you need is the lump removing.
Hi Fairydust,
It sounds as though you are going through something similar to me at the moment.
In July I was called for a routine mammogram (my 1st) and was then recalled to the breast clinic as they had found a 7mm area of calcification. I also had a core biopsy and when I went for the results I was told that they were inconclusive.
I was terrified of what they would find but they advised me to get the area taken out so they could assess it properly, as although they couldn’t detect any cancer there were cell changes.
I went into hospital last Thursday for a ‘wire guided excision biopsy’. First a mammogram is done and under a local anesthetic a wire is inserted to pinpoint the area - it wasn’t painful and seemed all very surreal with this wire poking out of my boob!!
I was then taken down to theatre where they then removed the area.
I can honestly say from the moment I came round from the operation, I have not taken a single pain killer and have had no pain at all from the wound, which has dissolveable stitches in and is still covered by a few steristrips at the moment.
I am due to go back for my results on Tuesday of next week so I will know the outcome then.
You will find that the waiting and not knowing is the worst, but the ladies on here are all fab and always keep you positive and if you want to ask anything at all just ask.
Good luck and try not to worry - easier said than done I know xx
hi, sorry your biopsy was inconclusive, very frustrating and more weeks of worry. But it is important to know what they are dealing with, because they want to keep the surgery they have to do in the end to a minimum.
If the next biopsy shows cancerous cells then they will probably take the lump out and look at your nodes at the same time to see if it trying to spread. (this is usually called WLE and SNB)
But I think (I could be wrong) that if they find no evidance of cancer in the biopsy they treat it as a benign lump and just take it out and dont look at your nodes that day… Nice quick and easy operation. But when they send your lump into the lab, if they do find cancerous cells they have to do more surgery at a later date to see what is happening to the nodes.
The node bit is slightly more invasive surgery and they would not want to do it without proof or a very strong suspicion of there being cancerous cells in the lump.
So although its more worry and stretching out the time time it is slightly encouraging. They must be thinking that there is a strong chance that its benign. Thats how I would be looking at it, but I am not expert, so I could be wrong.