Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Puddings, So sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time. I can understand it's scary and dealing with it in your early 20s must make it even more so. I can only tell you my experience - which is an 8-10cm RS which I was told didn't need to be removed in 2018! It was tested multiple times including with a vacuum biopsy and I was told all was fine. I'm still left with a question mark hanging over me to be honest, as most people on here seem to have them removed - so I think having the surgery will give you more peace of mind. I know it can be very unsettling but please remember that a diagnosis of an RS is not a diagnosis of cancer. It might be worth talking to your GP as well if you are struggling with anxiety and letting them know how you are feeling about things. Also when you next speak to your consultant maybe take a list of questions with you written down - it's so easy to forget to ask things when you there. And if what you read on the internet throws up more questions - write those down too as you come across them. It sometimes helps to feel you are doing something pro-active and have some control. Do be gentle with yourself and talk to those around you in real life who might understand... and if you can, find distractions (not so easy in lockdown) to keep you mind from focusing on it all the time. Best of luck, I'm always popping back on here and I get notifications if someone posts - so feel free to use this thread too Xxxx ... View more

Thanks for coming back to tell us how you got on NW1970. It's good to know they are on the case with whatever early changes they have found and whatever they have found will be very treatable. I hope you are feeling comforted by that rather than worried. It does make me feel that Radial Scars should be taken very seriously as there seems to be such a diversity of experience even on here! Take care and be gentle on yourself - waiting for results is always psychologically difficult. ... View more

Hi NW1970, Just to wish you all the best for your surgery tomorrow. Do come back and let us know how you get on. I think once the whole Covid thing is hopefully over (I want to wait as I have to shield) I will get a second opinion on mine. I'm still very wary of the fact it's still in there - so I hope your surgery gives you some piece of mind and a few answers. ... View more

Hi LBinCA, Thanks for joining the thread - it's good to hear about everyone's different experiences. I think you're the first person I've come across with mutiple Radial Scars. It sounds like you have a good consultant though and are being very closely monitered which must be comforting. With mine I very much got the feeling that as it's not cancer they want to be rid of you! I hope you're recovering well from the surgery. Like you I tried googling everything when first diagnosed, but there is so little info out there. I'm surprised there aren't more studies being done. It's also interesting that this thread has really picked up in the last few months... there do seem to be more being diagnosed - possibly as screening becomes more prevelant. I think the two takeaways from all I have read are: So long as tissue biopsies show no abnormalities then you can be safe it's not cancer (at least at the time they are done!). And the other being that there is a possibility that a Radial Scar can hide or mask a cancer behind it - which is why I am keem to have regluar mammograms. I would imagine this is more of a possibility when they are larger like my 8-10cm scar. I think this is a great place to pool out joint experiences - thanks for replying. ... View more

Hello NW1970 (Think you must be the same age as me!!) Sorry you find yourself here - but that is exactly what the thread is for! I hope reading back over past posts may have been useful to you. You sound in a very similar situation to me! My Radial Scar is 8-10cm diameter - and I haven't had all of mine removed. (Diagnosed summer 2018) I had a needle biopsy followed by vacuum biopsy to remove tissue from all areas of the scar for testing. Are you having general anaesthetic / surgery or a vacuum biopsy do you know? They tested from all over and found no pre-cancerous cells, so sent me on my way. As you may have seen - I paid for a private mammogram 12 months later for peace of mind. I would have had one last summer as well but I've had to shield with Covid, so will get it done as soon as I'm able.  It was never said but I think the reason mine wasn't removed was because of size. It would have been very disfiguring at that size. That said, I would have been very happy to have it removed if recommended. I'm always aware it's still in there if you know what I mean.  Anyway - always happy to chat and do let us know how you get on. What did they say about your biopsies when they were analysed? I would be very interested to hear  how things go as most people seem to have Radial Scars of 0.5cm - 1cm... whereas like you, mine is very much larger! Best of luck with the surgery and everything crossed for you!   ... View more

Good to hear from you both. And best of luck with the smear test, Doyler - I'm sure you could do without that to worry about as well! Yes, I have had biopsies. I had the core needle biopsy first (the standard one) and then I also had a vacuum biopsy. The thing is mine is SO large (8-10cm across) that they couldn't remove all of it via vacuum, but they did do a 'grid' across it so they took LOTS of samples from every area of it. These were tested and there was no sign of any pre-cancerous cells - all tests came back benign. I assume (although wasn't told) that they didn't remove it in its entirity under general surgery, as with being 8-10cm it would leave huge disfigurement. I do feel confident that the Radial Scar itself carries no cancer cells. But I also know that Radial Scars can, as you say, mask cancers. This is why I decided to have a mammogram every year even though the hospital said the 3 yearly routine ones would be fine. I had one summer 2019 and it showed no changes - all fine. I would have had one this year as well but for Covid (I am in the shielding catagory due to asthma) so I haven't been.  I think once Covid is over I will ask for a second opinion. The hospital were adamant that everything is fine after the vacuum biopsy - I even asked for an extra meeting and met with the radiographer who did the vacuum biopsy for her to explain exactly what she did as I was unsure how much they had actually taken out. That was when she explained the grid to me. But I must admit there is always the nagging doubt in the back of my mind about it still being in there! Best of luck Northwest and do keep us posted ... View more

Hello Northwest, Sorry to hear you are in the same boat - it's very confusing when there is so little information. Very best of luck with the operation. I'm beginning to think I might get a second opinion about my Radial Scar - everyone on this thread has been advised to have them removed apart from me!! I don't know if it's because mine is so large at 8.5cm! I wouldn't care if it meant a mastectomy so long as I was removing any chance of cancer.  As I've said before - nobody has ever come back to my thread to report on how they got on (I get an email every time someone comments - sometimes it goes months and months and then like busses they come along in the matter of a couple of weeks... anyway I'm always happy to 'chat' with anyone who comments - the more shared experience the more knowledge we pool. ... View more

Hello Doyler, Sorry to hear you are having such a tough time at the moment. You are right - there is very little information out there about Radial Scars and the medical profession seem to have different approaches! The main thing to remember though is that a Radial Scar is NOT cancer. It is completely benign. It mimics the look of cancer on mammogrames which makes it so scary and why there is so much concern over them before diagnosis. From what I have read the main reason for removal is that cancers can 'hide' behind them on mammogrames in the future. As you will have seen from this thread... I still have mine! I was told there was definitely no need for surgery and that the vacuum biopsy I had could catagorically say it was benign and held no pre-cancerous cells. In fact when I questioned this (as, as you have found some doctors still seem to prefer to remove them) I was pretty much told - 'You're fine. There is nothing wrong with you. Come back in 3 years for another mammogram like everybody else!' As I mention above I chose to have a mammogram privately the following year - and I would have had one this year but for the pandemic (I'm in the shielding catagory so haven't had one, but I will be gettig another as soon as I feel able to!) It's always in the back of my mind - so I think removal should give you more peace of mind in the long run I hope! Sorry not to be able to give you any more information. I think they are something which has only really come to light with mass breast screening. Prior to that people would be living with them and never know.  Do come back and chat if you would like to (I get emails when someone posts on this thread) Nobody else has ever been back to report how things are, so it would be good to know how you get on.  Easy to say 'try not to worry' I know. But do reassure yourself - a Radial Scar is not cancer and is benign. I hope all well in the next week or two and you get some reasuurance from the medical profession. ... View more

Hi NorthEast, Just saw you had posted via an email in my inbox! Yes, I'm still doing fine thank you! I felt very much like you, especially when you know that others have had them surgically removed, but the team at my Breast Clinic seemed adamant that a vaccum biopsy would give them enough information to catagorically rule out cancer. As mine is around 8cm and therefore large, I don' t think they could get ALL of it with the vacuum biopsy, but they did get a lot of it and samples from all areas of it. The research is so sketchy, but from what I have read, it's not that a Radial Scar would contain cancer cells itself so much that it could possibly 'hide' another cancer behind it.  The thing is with Breast Care Units, they are brilliant and fast and get the job done very quickly - but then if they decide it's not cancer but something else - as we have - they kind of spit you out the other end a bit dazed and confused as to what is actually happening! I was told all was fine and just go back to three yearly mammograms. I didn't feel happy with that with it still being in there (at least partically)- so I decided that for the next few years I would have a private yearly mammogram to be sure (They really aren't very expesive - £100 or so). I had one last July which was compared with my originals and I was told all was fine - no changes. I was due another this July, but with lockdown I haven't had it. I'm not sure yet whether to have it soon or wait until next July when my three yearly one will have come around anyway. They don't like doing surgery now so much as it can be disfiguring and essentially unecessary - but I know that leaves doubt in our minds. I've always been very questioning, read my own research and not blindly trusted the medical profession. I feel happy with what happened to me - so long as I have more frequent mammograms. If you have the vacuum biospy - it's fine, a little strange, but quite quickly done with. They can always give you more local anaesthetic if you begin to feel it too much as well. Recovery was a bit longer and be prepared for swelling to last a long time - it was a few months before my breast was back to its normal shape, which they didn't warn me about. Hope that helps - I know it can be a very stressful time. I hope things go well and do keep me posted... there seem to be so few of us around it's interesting to share experiences.   ... View more

Hi Sonya,   Sorry to hear you're having such an axious time. I hope the consultant can put your mind at rest tomorrow. Radial Scars seem to be very unresearched things and information so conflicting!   I did experience shooting pains in my breast - but only in the early weeks after the vacuum biopsy. Since that has healed I haven't had any more. My breast looks and feels as it did before now, apart from the small scars where the biopsies were performed.    For many months after the vacuum biospy I had a large lump / swelling at the site, but I was told this was perfectly normal and may not disappear completely, that I may be left with a 'new normal'. As the months have gone on though it has gradually gone and my breast has also become softer again in that area.   I'm sorry you're still having to deal with things. I think once you've had anything like this the fear never really goes away. And as mine wasn't removed it does still cause me concern. It's 18 months since it happened to me, but I paid for a private mammogram this summer once a year had passed as I just didn't trust leaving it the three years they recommend. I did it for peace of mind. They put a titanium clip into the scar when I had the vacuum biopsy and they could see that on my new mammogram and see if there were any changes to it. Fortunately they still look the same at the moment, but I will continue to have them done yearly until I feel confident enough not to (It was about £130, so doesn't break the bank)   Do come back and let us know how you get on... the waiting is so stressful I know. Thinking of you and keeping everything crossed! ... View more

Thank you Jo. I only found one reference to it on this forum and that person had it removed. I think with the vacuum biopsy / removal they try and avoid open surgery, but as you say, it's a worry - so I will try and find more out from my Breast Unit. I read somewhere there are 6 Radial Scars found to every 15,000 patients, so it seems quite rare - hence not much information! Many thanks for your reply ... View more

Anyone? Bump! ... View more