breast cancer

[sweetdoll]

I had IDC 6 years ago with a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation.  I have had normal mammograms and ultra sounds since then.  I have had a saroma in the breast since surgery.  I went last week for my routine mammogram and the radiologist said while he was looking at the ultra sound screen that he was seeing what looked like a pocket of fluid and it was not there on my previous exam.  I am scheduled for an aspiration with possible biopsy next week.  My fear is that it will not aspirate and will end up being a cancerous tumor.  I have been taking Arimidex for 6 years and just 2 weeks ago my tumor marker and CBC blood work came back normal.  It seems to me that the fact that I am on Arimidex and the labs were normal, that it would be in my favor that it will prove to be nothing.  Should I be concerned?  It's really making me anxious.

[Ken_PA]

That's wonderful news, congratulations.

[sweetdoll]

Biopsy was benign.  Thanks.

[Ken_PA]

I don't know how to explain that. If you find out, let me know :)

I'm glad that you got good news, at least for now. How long until you get the lab report on the biopsy sample?

[sweetdoll]

I had the biopsy done yesterday.  The radiologist said it was oval in shape, size is 1/4 - 1/2 inch, divided or wall??, drew out liquid and some solid parts, said if she had to say she would lean towards benign, but with my history of IDC 6 years ago couldn't really say.  

She said all cysts show dark on an ultra sound???

[Ken_PA]

In the mood for reading? This page looks good:
http://breast-cancer.ca/ultrahypo-echosolid/

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Sonogram / Ultrasound scan, can find out if a nodule on a mammogram, is a solid nodule, or a cyst.

Hypoechoic nodule or solid lesion in a breast
Suppose an ultrasound report said there is a hypoechoic nodule, or a hypoechoic lesion in a breast, perhaps also saying it is solid. What do these words mean?

Hypoechoic means it looks darker on ultrasound than the surrounding tissue. The surrounding tissue therefore looks brighter/lighter shades of grey. Does hypoechoic mean cancer? No.

Hypoechoic means it is solid, not liquid. That’s basically all the word means, that it’s not a cyst.

[Ken_PA]

Well, I don't know why the pocket of fluid  showed as dark. Do you have the sono report to post?

[sweetdoll]

But it did show dark on the ultra sound screen!

[Ken_PA]

Also, a "pocket of fluid" looks the opposite of a cancerous mass. The fluid reflects the ultrasound waves a lot, so it is bright. But a cancerous mass doesn't reflect so much, instead it absorbs the ultrasound and so it is dark.

I hope you post back after your appointment and it sure looks like you will have good news.

[sweetdoll]

Thank you for the encouragement.

[Ken_PA]

Hi that's not really my field but I do know that there has been a move on to reduce the number of screening mammograms because of so many false positives. A huge amount of fear and anxiety gets created over nothing. That can even be true if a first scan looks suspicious leads to a guided biopsy which then shows negative.

Hopefully you will find out that your situation is totally benign. Good luck.