Back from Mammo and U/S - have questions please (m)...

Hi! I am 37. Had my mammo and us this am for a palpable abnormality in the upper outer left quadrant of breast which I just noticed over the last two weeks and for ongoing breast pain for about the last 6 weeks. My ob also felt the abormality and that's why he sent me.   My Dr. should be calling me with the complete mammo/us results sometime today but in the meantime, have questions about my experience yesterday.  

The mammo Dr. said he could not see anything abnormal other than the Aysemmitric breast tissue thingy in the left breast, but said could not see anything on my mammo.  I think the tech was confused by what she saw, cause she was gone for a while showing the doc, so the tech then brought the doc in to show him on the screen the area she felt and he looked and looked and said "looks like fibrous tissue" (this was after he looked for a while and by the look on his face, I could tell he was not sure as well and frankly, I think he made a good guess on what "it" was.)  Ok, I had that two years when I had my 1st mammo, it has not changed, I don't know he didn't really say. But it must have if I can feel it now and it's tender and what about the shooting pains in ONE breast that is surely not cyclic pain?

He said true.....he didn't know how to answer that. He then continued to say that mammos and u/s are not always the definitive diagnosis and don't always catch breast cancer. So I asked about a biopsy and whether or not you can "biopsy" fibrous tissue" and he said that was up to me and my Dr. So, can you? My Dr. did say that if I choose (mammo and us come out fine) I can have it excised, but then would he send it for lab work to confirm benign or malignant? I think that's the only thing that would put my mind at ease.

Has anyone here ever HAD cancer that did not show up on us/mammo but on a biopsy or an excision of fibrous tissue?

What do I do next? Let it rest or ease my mind and ask for the excisional since it's giving me so much grief?

Also is "fibrous tissue" usually also the same as a fibroadenoma?  

Thanks for all your help!

[Cleveland Clinic]

Dear spankyandrex:  Breast pain is very common and though it is often cyclical, there are many possible causes.  Most breast cancer is not painful.  Fibrous tissue is a term used to describe tissue that appears more dense on mammography and feels like a thickening to palpation.  It is not the same as a fibroadenoma, which is a discrete lump.  

Technically, one can biopsy anything.  The question really is whether there is good reason to proceed with a biopsy.  Once you get the official results of the mammogram and ultrasound, you should discuss them with your doctor.  If you are concerned, you could see a breast surgeon and discuss pros and cons of whether an excision is the best option for you.  Without reviewing the mammogram and ultrasound, and doing a clinical breast examination, we cannot make any specific recommendations.

[Melody34]

A related discussion, Extremely painful mamogram (mammogram) along with a lot of anxiety was started.