I am too small for the table!!!

[caileyjane]

I am 49 and struggling with low weight.  Sad to say, I also have very small breast.  I had a mammogram and US done.  I was recommended to have a biospy after the results showed 6 small clustered calcifications.  Measures 1.4cm not well defined, Birad - 4.  After arriving to have the biopsy...can't remember the name..the kind where you have to lay on the table and your breast falls through the table hole..with a core needle biopsy...UMMM, well, I was toooo small for the mammogram to set right on my breast.  Now, they want to send me to a surgeon for him to do it with a wire proceedure.  The radiologist said the calcifications need to come out for biopsy.  I'm so ashamed that I'm so small.  But worried, too, about the up coming wire biopsy thingie.  Okay, so I'm not up on all the tech. wording here.  Has anyone had this experience?  Please tell me I'm not the only tiny boob woman wondering on this earth with this problem.  Has anyone had this kind of biopsy with the wire proceedure before?  Can you tell me what I'm to expect?  Also, because my area of concern is soooo smallllll, suppose it is cancerous.  I wont have to have radiation/chemo will I?  It's very tiny area...not big at all and chances are it's just right there in one location without spreading anywhere else.  So, they will just like take it out and I'll be done with this right??????

[txgrl01]

I had a wire localization procedure.  The wire is placed using ultrasound or mammography.  The doctor will place the wire at the edge of the area of concern.  This will allow the surgeon to follow the wire to the area for the biopsy.  80% of birad 4s are NOT cancer but if there is cancer, the surgeon will give you treatment choices.  There are usually several options, depending on the staging of any cancer found and the size of your breast.
Please take someone with you to take notes of all of your meetings from this point forward because it is all so overwhelming and you'll not be able to remember much of the early appointments.

[marydenise]

It sounds like since they're unable to perform the stereotactic core biopsy, they are going to do a surgical exisional biopsy with the wire localization procedure. This is a more invasive procedure, but not to worry. This is what they used to do all the time up to about 10 years ago when the stereotactic biopsy procedure came into use. I'm going to have one of these, myself, soon as the result of an unclear pathology result from my stereotactic biopsy. You're correct, the suspicious area is very small, as is mine, and in my case, the surgeon will take all of the suspicious area out (about 1 cm., a bit less than 1/2 inch). You are correct, if it is cancer, you have caught it WAY early.