actually, not showing on ultrasound can be a good sign. Had it been shown on ultrasound to be a cyst, which is the main thing an ultrasound can do -- differentiate between liquid and solid -- then you'd be off the hook immediately. But since it didn't show on ultrasound, it means the texture of the area is like that of the surrounding tissues. Since cancer tends to be much harder than normal breast tissue, it usually is detectible as a dense shadow on ultrasound. So when it doesn't show up at all, it suggests that whatever is causing the shadow on mammogram is not of different texture than normal, and therefore less likely to be bad.
I had a Mammogram about a few weeks ago. The Mammogram showed something on my left breast and I went back for another Mammogram today and thing was still there. I was sent to do an ultrasound but the untrasound did not detect anything abnormal. Should I still be concerned and do any further investigation or should I just take it as a relief?
As a detective instrument, Mammogram and ultrasound, which one is more accurate and reliable?
Thank you very much for any insight you can give me !!!
Sincerely,
Jiang
Dear TappedAnts: The purpose of an ultrasound is to differentiate between solid and cystic (fluid filled) masses. Since your abnormality did not show on the ultrasound, it may just mean that it is not fluid filled. It does not mean that it is malignant. However, since there is something present on the mammogram, further investigation, such as a biopsy, is needed.
A related discussion,
A shadow on my mammogram was started.
A related discussion,
mamogram vs. ultrasound was started.