I am a 50 year old Female and have a high risk family history of breast cancer on my Mum’s side. On Thursday I found an unusual lump, hard, fixed and feels like it has hard ridges on it. My GP referred me to the One stop Breast clinic but I didn’t want to wait for 2 weeks (as my Mum is currently recovering from breast cancer) so I went and had a private ultrasound. The private Consultant Sonographer said she had never seen such dense breast tissue. She spotted many cysts but I expected that as they showed up last year on my yearly mammogram. She also saw what she thought might be complex cysts and a 3 cm legion with an intense posterior attenuation and irregular margins at the site where I could feel the lump. She said I’d need an immediate biopsy as it was highly suspicious. I was seen today by a Breast surgeon at the local NHS hospital. I had a mammogram which showed no real change from my one last year but the breast surgeon demonstrated that it would be virtually impossible to detect a tumour this way (as my breasts are so dense) by holding up a white piece of paper then placing some white tissue on it. I had an ultrasound with a different consultant and they could see something but she graded it as between 3 and 4 as showing probably benign but with some worrying features. She said she doubted it was cancer but biopsied it just in case and wished me good luck. I felt more positive going back for a final chat with the surgeon. I was shocked when she told me I probably have Breast cancer and should be prepared for a positive diagnosis when I see her for my biopsy results a week on Friday. She also said that even if the biopsy came back negative she has already booked me in for an MRI and said that I should expect to be ‘on a roller coaster of more tests and possibly bioopsies and waiting for results’. I have to say she was extremely kind but she said in her opinion, even by just feeling my breast lump and various other areas of density in both breasts, that ‘something is going on’. She suggested my ‘discordant’ results suggested malignancies. She did say she didn’t think anything had spread to the lymph nodes and the cancer would be ‘curable’ as I would have surgery quickly followed by radiotherapy and possibly chemo. Has anyone else experienced such different views from Breast consultant/sonographer and the breast surgeon. I am feeling very confused and obviously anxious. Is she just being overly cautious? What could be going on???
Hi cdc,
Sorry to hear you have all of this hanging over you.
Although the anxiety is horrible, it is right that she is being so thorough, it’s much better to be get to the bottom of it & to be absolutely sure what’s going on.
As you have dense breasts, an mri should be done, as I understand mammos are simply not as effective in seeing what’s going on in the breast. Depending on our diagnosis, many of us here have had breast mris.
Hopefully all will be well, but If you are diagnosed, then thankfully it will be dealt with.
Do let us know how you get on.
ann x
Hi cdc,
I found the mri fine to deal with, it takes about 30ish minutes. You lie face down with the boobs hanging down, so had a good look at the floor during the whole process!
The staff are used to people feeling anxious & you’re given an alarm if you feel you need to stop the process.
I just sort of chilled out & concentrated on my breathing & felt comfortable throughout.
It is noisy, so they give you headphones & a selection of things to listen to. I think I had Radio 2
Just let them know how you feel & they will help you with it.
ann x
Dense breasts are difficult breasts in many aspects but this is a different aspect. In Imaging the consultant describes what he sees. The lesions have some characteristics that make them more or less suspicious. But those are possibilities. The final result will be given by the pathologist (and even that might be difficult and you may need more bipsies). The grading helps the communication between the specialities and gives a possibility. If eg the pathology is not concordant with the previous grading further assessment might be needed or not. But medicine is not maths. In medicine 1+1 is not always 2. Benign looking lesions might come as cancers and suspicious lesions might be benign. That is why the doctors performs biopsies. So be patient and wait pathology’s result and take it from there.
Well I had my MRI this morning and it really was fine. I asked to have a look at the machine yesterday and I think that helped me feel more relaxed as I knew what to expect. Also received my initial pathology report from my biopsied. I do have Grade 2 IDC - my MRI results will confirm if I need further areas investigated and what treatment plan is best for me. I’m feeling so much calmer than I did when I first discovered the lump and during the first week of waiting for results. Maybe I’m just in shock but everything feels surreal as I feel so well! Hard for my husband and I to get our heads around the fact I do have cancer. I suppose I will be heading to the recentl diagnosed forum at some stage. Thanks for everyone’s support and answers this far
Hi cdc,
Feeling well with an early cancer diagnosis is quite normal.
Fortunately, bc tends to get picked up earlier, when it’s contained in the breast & not causing trouble elsewhere.
It is a surreal feeling though, I remember it well!
ann x