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mammogram

recent mammogram shows two clusters of small irregular calcifications, I have fibrocystic breast disease, should I do more follow up?  I had mother with breast cancer, and 2 sisters.  I am 61 years old.
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Avatar universal
I would definitely follow up with my doctor and go over the results of the mammo! I don't want to scare you, but with three first degree relatives with BC, you should know that you're at higher risk than the average woman. Zouzi gave you excellent advice and you should know your BIRADS score and exactly what follow up the radiologist is recommending.Hopefully, you've been getting regular mammos, so the radiologist has something to compare these most recent films to. Often, the stability or changes from the prior films will help the radiologist determine what the next step should be---close follow up or biopsy, as zouzi said. I've had clusters of microcalcification and they were followed every six months for a year until there were changes and a biopsy was needed. It's definitely better to know what's going on than to take any chances. Please take care of yourself and get back with your doctor, OK?
Wishing you all the best,
nc
Helpful - 0
587083 tn?1327120262
Hi,
Breast calcifications are benign in most cases and malignant only rarely.
Radiologists are able to identify typically benign breast calcifications depending on their form and pattern.If no suspicion is detected a biopsy is not required to prevent unnecessary procedures However,calcifications that grow in a cluster are suspicious because it may indicate that there is an abnormal growth in the area.
You don't say what your radiologist has recommended and what is the BIRADS score that he/she assigned on your mammogram report.
The Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BIRADS) is a system used by radiologist to categorize the findings on mammograms and Ultrasound.The scores go from 0 to 5.The higher the score the more suspicious the findings are.If you don't know what the score is,then I would suggest to call the radiologist or your doctor to find out about it.
It's important for you to have this information,so you will know if monitoring the calcification every 3 to 6 months is recommended (If your BIRADS score is 3) ,or a biopsy is required (If your BIRADS score is 4)
Wishing you all the best and happy New Year!
Helpful - 0
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