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Micro calcifications on Mammo -

I have read many of the postings about micro calcifications and still have a question.  I had a baseline mammo when I was 42.  Due to family stuff haven't taken time to get next mammo until 8/31/06 at age 48.  Went for routine mammo; they found small cluster on R. bst.; immediately did diagnostic mammo; and Dr. came in to explain findings.  Immediatley sent me next door to my gyn to get info on surgeon to do sterotatic biop.
I know calcifications are normal; but what is the specific pattern/in clusters/ or number in cluster; size etc. that cause concern and rating of Birads 4?  If clusters can indicate tumor
why doesnt that show up on mammo?  No one has felt breast for lump/ should that have been done that first before suggesting bioposy?  Just seems like a whirlwind of activity for micro calc.
Are they over reacting?
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Avatar universal
Dear Kimberlie, Microcalcifications are actually very fine specks of calcium that light up on a mammogram.  Sometimes they can be an indication of cancer or precancer.   Based on their pattern on the mammogram it gives the radiologist clues as to their cause.  For instance microcalcifications that are more scattered are probably due to a benign (non-cancerous) cause, a
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Avatar universal
A related discussion, micro calcification was started.
Helpful - 0
471379 tn?1210225287
A related discussion, DonnaRee are you aware?... was started.
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Avatar universal
Yes, they do often just call and let you know the results. I'm just glad to get them quickly. (The first two times I had a biopsies I did have to go to the surgeon's office, but most offices just call you.) Every time I go through this my heart races and I get very anxious when I know it's them calling and I feel I can barely breathe. Then it's a hugh sigh of relief when I find out it's benign. Just one suggestion, have your questions ready to ask right away on the phone regardless of whether it is benign or cancererous, so you don't have to wait for the answers later on.
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Avatar universal
KIMBERLEE......GREAT NEWS!! GOOD LUCK TO YOU

WELL, TODAY I TALKED TO THE SURGEONS OFFICE AND SHE SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT GET ME IN UNTIL 10/4/06, NEXT WEDNESDAY AND THAT THEY WOULD LIKE FOR ME TO DO THE BIOPSY, STEREOTECTIC (SP??) TOMORROW...... THEY THEN SCHEDULED ME AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE SURGEON FOR WEDNESDAY THE FOURTH...(I AM GUESSING THEY DID THIS BECUASE OF THE CLEAR DISCHARGE I HAD HAD; THE RADIOLOGIST HAD TOLD ME THAT IF IT LEAKED AGAIN TO SEE A SURGEON....THIS IS ALL SO CONFUSING...
I DID FIND OUT THAT MY BIRAD SCORE WAS A 4.3
OH AND GET THIS...
THE SURGEONS OFFICE TOLD ME THAT THE BREAST CENTER WILL CALL ME AND TELL ME MY RESULTS OVER THE PHONE!!!! IN A DAY OR TWO....
MAYBE I AM JUST NEW TO ALL OF THIS, BUT I AM STUNNED THAT I WILL BE WAITING ON A CALL TO SAY YES YOU HAVE CANCER OR NO YOU DON'T...
STILL TRYING TO DECIDE IF I WANT TO BE AT WORK WHEN THAT CALL COMES OR STAY HOME TILL I GET IT.

I WILL SAY THIS I HAVE A NEW APPRECIATION FOR THE PATIENCE THAT ALL OF YOU HERE HAVE ENDURED.... I AM SAD THAT WE ARE ALL HERE FOR THIS REASON, BUT I AM GRATEFUL THAT YOU ALL ARE SO KIND, CARING AND HELPFUL.  I HOPE I CAN RETURN THE FAVOR, IRREGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME.
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127512 tn?1193742216
breastcancer.org is a wonderful site.
Maybe you could find out what type of biopsy you are having and let us know. It could be your doctor trust this other doctor so much to just look at your films without a biopsy. Like someone else said it is good they have so much confidence in this dr. I would then let this dr. suggest a biopsy.
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Avatar universal
Kimberlee, So glad to hear it's benign. I hope this is the end of your breast problems.

boninclyde, It's interesting following your progress. Why are they just now sending your breast for the onconotype? Interesting how everything takes so much tiiiiiime. I guess if you think about chemo now it can be a pleasant surprise when you find you don't need it.
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Avatar universal
Well the results are in and it is fibrocystic in nature.  Recommended following area every six months instead of yearly for a while, but what a weight off my mind!  When everything suggested differently, it is not the feared 'C' word.  

JC- I do hope you get good news when you have your biopsy!    

Montana Girl- Thank you for you kind thoughts and prayers.  I am so grateful for them and each of the beautiful women on this forum who are just a click away.

boninclyde-   It sounds like you have some dear friends (on here)who know what you have been going through.  I pray you stay well in the mist of this storm and come out the otherside showing other woman the way.
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127512 tn?1193742216
Thanks guys for not jumping down my throat. It is just confusing. The %'s.
They are sending my breast (I would say biopsy but it is much to personal to call a biopsy LOL) off for the oncotype test to see how many cancer cells and how strong the cancer is. That should tell us the chance for re-occurance. They said Tamoxifen probaly but they way my situation has been since the begining I am planning on chemo. But not shaving my head just yet. (LOL) Those who have watched me post for awhile now what I am talking about. Keep you posted.
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Avatar universal
THANK YOU ALL FOR THE ADVICE..... I THINK THAT IF THE SURGEON CAN GET ME IN THIS WEEK THEN I WILL SEE HER; I THINK THE NURSE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE SURGEON DOING A BIOPSY....MAYBE A DIFFERENT KIND... AND ONE OF YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE DR CHANGING HIS MIND BUT I THINK HE TRULY JUST GOT THE RESULTS TODAY AND WANTED TO LET ME KNOW WHAT HIS THOUGHTS ARE.
APPRECIATE AND RESPECT ALL OF YOU MORE THAN YOU KNOW... EVEN THOUGH IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN A WEEK SINCE THIS ORDEAL STARTED, THIS SITE HAS BEEN AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF SUPPORT.  THANK YOU AND ALL OF YOU ARE IN MY PRAYERS.  WILL KEEP YOU GUYS POSTED, SUPPOSE TO GET A CALL FROM THE NURSE TOMORROW LETTING ME KNOW WHEN THE SURGEON CAN GET ME IN.
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Avatar universal
It's hard to say why the nurse called back with 2 options this time. It makes me think the doctor looked at your test more thoroughly and decided maybe a stereotactic is not the best option. For example, if the microcalcs are too close to the chest wall, stereotactics don't always work. Maybe the doctor feels a breast surgeon could better determine whether your lump(s) need to be biopsied. Or, it could be something totally different. It's reassuring to know that they highly recommend this surgeon. Did you decide which option you'll take?
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Avatar universal
Clarification - 25-50% of Birad 4 ABNORMALITIES (not biopsies) are benign.
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Avatar universal
It is good to have you back boninclyde and I think you bring up a very good point. This is the way I understand it but I have no medical background to back it up.

My surgeon told me around 85% of microcalcifications are benign. From what I understand, this includes all of them, scattered or clustered. If people don't realize it includes all microcalcs I can see why it could be confusing. (Someone at this site posted that 85% of "clustered" microcalcs are benign but I have never seen that statistic officially so I tend to doubt it.)

The medical practitioner giving advice at this site says around 25-50% of all BIRAD 4 biopsies are cancerous. But, this includes all types of breast biopsies - microcalcs and masses. I haven't heard an official % on just microcalc biopsies, but maybe someone else has.

Maybe the others can let us know where their statistics came from so we can figure out if we have conflicting info or if we're misinterpreting the figures.

One thing I've noticed is that from time to time new people to this site respond to the "posters" (that's us) as if we are medical professionals. I think we need to make it clear that we are offering advice only from personal experience. (Altho I know a couple of "posters" have had medical experience with breasts and that's a different story.)
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127512 tn?1193742216
Hello Ladies,
I am back from a much needed break. And some of you will probaly wish I stayed gone. Just kidding. Look guys I don't want to offend anyone or **** anyone off cause you all have helped me so much and if I am wrong please let me know but...
OK here goes (please don't take offense)

cyn17 says the chance that microcalcifications are a 25% - 50% chance of being cancer.

Montana girl 06 says that there is a chance that 85% of calcifications are benign.

Donnaree say that there is a 80-85% chance of Birad 4 being benign.

This is all so confusing to me and to newcomers. Those percentages just don't mean anything. Like I have said before is that 25%, 50%, 80-85% out of 100, 1000, 10000. Sorry but it just seems misleading.

Again I am not writing this to offend anyone because without you guys (not these percentages) (ha) I probablay would not have made it to my surgery.

Yes, let me know what you think.

Kimberlie please let us know as soon as you get your results.
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Avatar universal
Hi JC - Sorry, I responded inaccurately to your concern. Oops! I believe your doctor is strongly suggesting you see a breast surgeon as that is their specialty. A radiologist probably has plenty of breast experience, but isn't THE specialist. I wouldn't be worried that doctor's are suggesting something bad, they just want you to see the best doctor.
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Avatar universal
I WASN'T GETTING THE IMPRESSION THAT THEY WANTED TO WATCH AND SEE I GOT THE IMPRESSION THAT THEY WERE DEFENITELY ALARMED AND WANTED ME TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE SURGEON AND HAVE THEM BIOPSY SO THEY COULD TAKE ADDITIONAL STEPS IF NEEDED.....
I DON'T THINK I GOT IT WRONG, .... IF I DID WHY WERE THEY RECOMMENDING A BREAST SURGEON???
I AM SOOOOOO CONFUSED.!!!!!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
JC - My doctor did the same and I went to the radiologist they recommended for the biopsy instead of waiting and watching. This turned out to be the best for me...the doctor was great and by having the biopsy and finding out it was benign, I was able to get some relief. In a way I wanted my doctor to make the ultimate decision for me, but sometimes our situations aren't cut and dry.

boninclyde - I agree the percentages get confusing and no offense whatsoever is taken.
Here is my understanding:
Clustered micro calcs have a 25-50% chance out of 100% of being cancer, or 50-75% chance of being benign.
Fibroadenomas have a 15% chance out of 100% of being cancer, or in other words an 85% chance of being benign.

At the end of the day, these are just numbers. As we know, any one of us can fall on the wrong side of the statistic.

I'm glad you're back and hope your recovery is going well!
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Avatar universal
NEW HAPPENINGS TODAY!
I called friday to see if they could move the biopsy up b/c i was going crazy....today they (the breast center) called and said yes they could and they moved it to wednesday,.. the day after tomorrow.
i then got a call from my gyno's nurse saying that they got the results..(which she, the same nurse that called, and i discussed on thursday and friday) she then tells me that the dr says i have 2 options:
  1) to go ahead with the scheduled biopsy from the radiologist
  2) or go see a breast surgeon..."we strongly reccommend that you see dr. ___________" when i asked why her response was "we know her work and we strongly recommend you see her"

ok, i am TOTALLY FREAKED OUT!!!!!!!

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD THIS EXPERIENCE!
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Avatar universal
thank you cyn17...
kimberlie...i just want to make sure i understand.. after they do the biopsy then they do more mamo's??? and that is when the radiologist said they wanted to check your lymph nodes... how did they check them.?
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Avatar universal
JC,  The surgeon took the samples of microcals and mammos to be sure they were in the right place.  They put the little strips and bandage on my breast and told me I could now sit up.  That is when the surgeon said she wanted to examine (feel with her fingers) my lymph nodes under my arm. Just wondered if she was expecting to find something??  Was that a normal part of the procedure?
I see you are having your biposy soon.  I hope it goes well.  The anticipation was much worse than the procedure for me.  Please keep us posted as to how you make out.  

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Avatar universal
So sorry to hear about your difficult year. Glad to hear your stereotactic is done and that you had a Breast Center nearby where you could go. It's procedure to follow the stereotactic with a mammogram, but I haven't heard about checking the lymph nodes before. Keep us posted on the results.
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Avatar universal
I also have multiple cysts, fibroadenomas and other things in my breast besides the microcalcs. But, it's always the microcalcs they are concerned with. I have questions to ask at my next appointment about that. I do know that they worry more about lumps that do not have well-defined margins. I understand the part about being scared, as do most of the people posting here. Keep us posted. I'll keep you in my prayers.
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Avatar universal
Of the things going on, the most concerning is the cluster of micro calcs. They have a 25-50% chance of being cancer and need to be biopsied. The other things...cyst and fribroadenoma are generally benign. Usually doctors will watch those over time to see if any changes occur. If changes do occur, they will biopsy them. It's not unusual to have all these in the breast at one time, but you do need to stay on top of your exams, as you have been.

Good luck with your follow up and keep us posted!
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Avatar universal
had my first mamogram yesterday, a diagnostic one, lots of pictures and a sonogram... radiologsits told me a "cluster of microcalcifications" but i also had a fibro...something tumor, but she was less concerned about that and a probable papaloma cyst, which she said i will probably need to see a surgeon for. she said that we were going to handle this one at a time and do a biopsy, stereotatic (sp??) a week from monday....
should i be concerned that ALL 3 of these things are going on in ONE breast?
35 yrs old, mom of 11 yr old special needs child and a 9 yr old. very scared.
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