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Breast Cancer (Expert Forum)
Microcalcification
Questions posted in the Breast Cancer Forum are answered by medical professionals from The Cleveland Clinic. Topics include Breast Biopsy, Chemotherapy, Hormone Therapy, Lumps, Lumpectomy, Lymph node dissection, Lymphedema, Mammograms, Mastectomy, Radiation Therapy, Reconstruction, Self Breast Exam, and Surgery.
Microcalcification
by Gallen, Sep 25, 2004 12:00AM
After a mammo in May 04, I was told I had calcifications. Yesterday, I was told I needed to have a biopsy. The radiologist showed me the magnified mammo, using an addition 2 magnifying glasses. There are microcalcifications (5) scattered throughout my left breast. Why biopsy? There are no clusters. She told my gyn that the results are inconclusive and recommended biopsy. She said that I "appear" to have more that I did in March 03. After reading the forum, I'm confused. Why biopsy and what? I'm 45 years old and have a history of breast cancer in the family. My aunt was 79 when diagnosed and my mother had her left breast removed at 74 due to calcifications, which were not cancerous...yet. She has received no further treatment of any kind. Thanks for you thoughts on this.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-RN,MSN-rf, Sep 27, 2004 12:00AM
Dear Gallen: I am wondering if the magnifying glass may have made the calcifications look further apart than they actually are. Also, if the numbers are increasing, there may be some concern. Without reviewing your mammogram and situation specifically, it is impossible to speculate on how the doctors arrived at their recommendation. Another option is to take the information to a breast specialist for a second opinion.
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After a needle biopsy failed to produce a positive result, there was talk of precancer, but the clusters looked too suspicious to ignore, and an open excisional biopsy with removal of the two most suspicious clusters, showed them to be cancerous and microinvasional, whatever that means.
I just had the lumpectomy and lymph node surgery, and will be results on that in 5 days. If no sign of spreading is seen, I'll undergo radiation therapy, regarless.
So, my comment is that just because there is no tumor, and they are called microcalcifications, if a biopsy is recommended, please get one. You may just catch an early cancer before it spreads too far.