first time mammo - calcifications - no biopsy?

[legare1969]

hi, i'm 40 yrs old & went for my first mammo yesterday.  did the standard xrays & dr came in & said, we'd like to get a few more pics, since this is your first one & we have no baseline.  so they did that & she came back in & said she'd like me to get an ultrasound.  by this time, i'm getting a little nervous b/c i'm thinking this isnt the normal routine.  she looked at the ultrasound & then had me have a compression and diagnostic mammos and about ten more xrays.  a cluster of calcifications were visible (even i saw them) on my right breast.  they looked like a little constellation of small stars - about five of them.  then the dr had an emergency & had to leave & said she'd look at them later & get back to me.  didnt hear from her, so i called back & she said - oh, they look benign, you're fine, we'll see you in a year.  i was a little shocked & said, ok.  then i started thinking about it & reading a bunch of stuff on this site & elsewhere and i'm just not satisfied.  i have a strong history of colon cancer but no breast. my mom has fibroids in her breasts.  my breasts are very dense & have cysts (i know this is normal).  anyway, wondering if i am being an alarmist or should i ask for a second opinion or a biopsy or something.  waiting a year does not sound good to me.  any advice?

[iam1butterfly]

That's a good analogy... those tiny microcalcifications on a mammogram do kind of resemble the constellations of the galaxy.
Anyway, calcifications are rarely, if ever, found to be of a cancerous origin. And, although they're an abnormality, the concern isn't so much that they appear; but rather the manner in which they form (i.e. clusters).
They can either be biopsied or observed for changes at a later follow-up time (usually 6 months). So, that 1 year wait that you were told is somewhat of a surprise to me.
Now, your age, which is 40, is considered to be on the young side to manifest these growths. Plus, the fact that you have fibrocysitic breasts, which is not an uncommon condition, does make the interpretation of a mammogram difficult.
If I were in your situation, and I was... only, I was 48 when my calcifications first appeared, I would pursue this matter before accepting that 1 year waiting plan.
A second opinion sounds more than reasonable. Ask about the option of having a biopsy... which would give you a definitive answer regarding the nature of the calcification.
I can only speak for myself when I say that 1 year of uncertainty would simply drive me up the wall. You do have a voice in all of this. Good luck in whatever you decide.

[legare1969]

hi.  thanks for the kind and informative words.  i have a call into my dr, asking for referral for second opinion and/or biopsy.  yeah....the one year of waiting.....doesnt exactly sound ideal.  thank you.