Reactive Axillary Lymph Nodes?

[gingerpmoore]

I found a lump in my left breast and my physician ordered a mammogram. Little did I know that it would be a complete waste of time for someone under 40! There is dense breast tissue that could be hiding a tumor but my mammogram was negative and the radiologist advised I get another one done in a whole 5 years!!! Needless to say I am going to a breast specialist to rule out cancer. The mammogram did say that my axillary lymph nodes are likely reactive. When I got a copy of the report they are very visible as large white circles. What does this mean? I don't have an infection currently and the lymph nodes are on my left side as well. What do reactive or calcified axillary lymph nodes look like on a mammogram and could it mean breast cancer?

[japdip]

They would appear white on film. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have cancer.I'm curious as to why an Ultrasound wasn't ordered following the Mammogram. With dense breast tissue a Breast MRI is sometimes found to be quite valuable as it is more sensitive and said to "see" thru the dense tissue to reveal undetected tumors.  Regards ....

[gingerpmoore]

Actually I did have an ultrasound and it showed absolutely nothing. She did not ultrasound the lymph nodes which is why I am delving deeper into this and I have also read that ultrasound is not 100% in detecting cancer in dense tissue.