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Biopsy of Breast Calcifications
I am a 43 year old female. I had an abnormal mammogram approximately 7 months ago. They called me back for diagnostic views which showed calcifications in the right breast. I was told to come back for another mammogram in 6 months. I just had that mammogram done and they called me right away and said I needed to see a breast surgeon. He told me that the calcifications have increased in size and number and that I needed a biopsy. He said he would be removing a ping-pong sized ball of tissue that would be analyzed for cancer. I was in such shock about everything that I didn't ask enough questions! Is this type of biopsy normal procedure for my condition? How often is this cancerous? Any opinions would be appreciated!
I ran across this website by accident and sooo glad I did. I too recently discovered I have calcifications. I found a very sore lump in my left breast and had to wait almost a week before I could get in the dr. office.
He did a breast exam and at first said it was probably a cyst it should go away in a month. I went back a month later in late Sept. and had my 1st ever mammo it was scheduled as a routine,and was told immediatly to go to the drs office. I seen the dr and while waiting for the radiology report he did another exam. I thought the lump had either disappeared or had really shrank in size.
Needless to say the mammo found a really big mass of calcifiations in a cluster some what resembling a moon shape on my left side. He told me I needed to see a surgeon that it didn't look very good.
I seen the surgeon and on 10/5 had a sterotatic core needle biopsy done. They removed 12 samples and I still have alot of calcifications in tact. I was told a marker was put in to pin point where exactly the mass is.
I had to wait for 2 days for the results (waiting is the hardest part) and was told it begein.
However I have a couple of other diseases going on along with very dense breast.
It all happened so fast and I was so unprepared I too didn't ask enough question or the right questions. I knew nothing at all about breast cancer untill a week ago, when I started looking up info and message boards.
I am still very confused on what to think or ask or do. I am still really scared that I may still have something hiden somewhere that didn't appear on the mamo. I never had a ultrasound or mri. Today I called the dr's office again, I found a new small hard lump just to the left of my breast bone. Should I ask for a ultrasound? any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Best wishes to you all and God Bless!
He did a breast exam and at first said it was probably a cyst it should go away in a month. I went back a month later in late Sept. and had my 1st ever mammo it was scheduled as a routine,and was told immediatly to go to the drs office. I seen the dr and while waiting for the radiology report he did another exam. I thought the lump had either disappeared or had really shrank in size.
Needless to say the mammo found a really big mass of calcifiations in a cluster some what resembling a moon shape on my left side. He told me I needed to see a surgeon that it didn't look very good.
I seen the surgeon and on 10/5 had a sterotatic core needle biopsy done. They removed 12 samples and I still have alot of calcifications in tact. I was told a marker was put in to pin point where exactly the mass is.
I had to wait for 2 days for the results (waiting is the hardest part) and was told it begein.
However I have a couple of other diseases going on along with very dense breast.
It all happened so fast and I was so unprepared I too didn't ask enough question or the right questions. I knew nothing at all about breast cancer untill a week ago, when I started looking up info and message boards.
I am still very confused on what to think or ask or do. I am still really scared that I may still have something hiden somewhere that didn't appear on the mamo. I never had a ultrasound or mri. Today I called the dr's office again, I found a new small hard lump just to the left of my breast bone. Should I ask for a ultrasound? any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Best wishes to you all and God Bless!
Moo
I am going thru the same thing right now. I had calcifications on my left breast and was told I needed a biopsy which I had on Sept 3rd. I was told that 95% of these are just that, calcifications and only 5% are cancer. Well I have cancer and it is DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ). I had a lumpectomy on the 21st and did not get clear margins on one end so yesterday (the 5th) I had a 2nd excision to try to get the clear margins. Today I await the lab result which will tell me if I will have a mastecomy or not. I am a bundle of nerves today to say the least.
I don't mean to alarm you but that is my story. But hopefully you will be in the 95%. Good Luck. If you want more info my email address is ***@****
I am going thru the same thing right now. I had calcifications on my left breast and was told I needed a biopsy which I had on Sept 3rd. I was told that 95% of these are just that, calcifications and only 5% are cancer. Well I have cancer and it is DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ). I had a lumpectomy on the 21st and did not get clear margins on one end so yesterday (the 5th) I had a 2nd excision to try to get the clear margins. Today I await the lab result which will tell me if I will have a mastecomy or not. I am a bundle of nerves today to say the least.
I don't mean to alarm you but that is my story. But hopefully you will be in the 95%. Good Luck. If you want more info my email address is ***@****
I'm so sorry - my heart goes out to you. This waiting is the worst part - I can't imagine what you are going through. Two doctors have told me different cancer rates - I've been told when the calcifications are clustered like mine, 25-30% are cancerous. I just keep telling myself to get through each step at a time but of course your mind wanders. I will keep you in my prayers for good results today! Thanks for your email address - I'll check in on you!
I had to have a surgical biopsy to remove a lump that was up against the chest wall. It turned out to be a fibroadenoma. When I had my mammos they had problems getting a good view of this and since they could only see it from one angle on the mammos they used ultrasound to do a wire insertion to mark the lesion. They knew from the beginning that they wouldn't be able to do a needle biopsy due to its location. The wire placement and biopsy were done on an out-patient basis. I hope this all works out for you. Do follow up on this as if it should be "something", the sooner you know the better the treatment would be. But, keep in mind that the odds are in your favor and everything will be OK.
At the age of 50 and post-menopausal, had my first mammo last June, calcification was found in my right breast, I was told to have a repeat in 6 months. Just did that, was told to have a core needle biopsy within two weeks. Went for the biopsy, was there for 2 hours, many, many x-rays were taken, got all set up for the procedure, then was told that the calcification was too close to my chest wall for the surgeon to be comfortable doing the procedure. Many more x-rays were taken, was told to contact my own doctor within the week. Anyone else had this type of commnet about the chest wall?
The treatment of DCIS is still evolving; it's only in the past couple of decades that it's being seen with great frequency, because before that the quality of mammography was less, and fewer women were getting them. DCIS ought to be nearly 100% curable, because by definition it's not yet invasive. But the question that is not fully answered is how much treatment is enough, how much is too much. Presumably all DCIS would be cured by mastectomy. But we know that many women with it need far less; in fact, it's probable that some cases of DCIS never progress at all and would theoretically do fine with no treatment. What's needed, and what is evolving, is the ability to predict behavior of a given case. We know, for example, that certain characteristics denote a more aggressive form, such as what's called "comedo" variant; meaning cells built up and packed extensively within a duct, especially with some of the cells appearing dead. Studies have been done on how much margin -- 2mm vs 10, for example -- is adequate. One problem is that it's very hard to standardize how tissue is cut in the lab; the appearance under the microscope of a margin distance may in fact not fully reflect what's going on. Criteria have been developed as guidelines, based on size of the area of DCIS, presense of comedo variant, multiple areas, etc. The perfect algorithm for each situation does not exist. In general if it's a tiny area, and the woman is past menopause age, and there's no comedo form, simple excision alone may be enough. Treatment escalates to wider lumpectomy, with or without radiation, with or without hormone treatment, or to simple mastectomy. Making such decisions isn't easy; some of it is "seat of the pants." Some of it is based on the woman's own level of comfort: some feel better having had the most aggressive treatment, even in situations where data say less is probably (emphasis on "probably") ok.
Hi all,
I just accidentally stumbled on to this site while looking up "mamography". I had my yearly mamogram Dec. 8 and rec'd a call from radiologist to come back for a compression mamography which I had done on Dec.14th. When the radiologist called me into office (after he read mamogram) he said I had calcifications to R breast. On the first mamogram, he said they were very small and had to magnify them. He recommended that I have a stereotactic core biopsy (which I just had done on Dec. 16th and am awaiting results of biopsy. Needless to say....I AM VERY SCARED AND NERVOUS. The radiologist who performed the biopsy said about 85% of these calcifications are benign.
I have a family hx of breast cancer (mother, aunt, 2 first counsins).
I can't believe how common these breast calcifications are and the frequency these stereotactic core biopsy's are done.
I just accidentally stumbled on to this site while looking up "mamography". I had my yearly mamogram Dec. 8 and rec'd a call from radiologist to come back for a compression mamography which I had done on Dec.14th. When the radiologist called me into office (after he read mamogram) he said I had calcifications to R breast. On the first mamogram, he said they were very small and had to magnify them. He recommended that I have a stereotactic core biopsy (which I just had done on Dec. 16th and am awaiting results of biopsy. Needless to say....I AM VERY SCARED AND NERVOUS. The radiologist who performed the biopsy said about 85% of these calcifications are benign.
I have a family hx of breast cancer (mother, aunt, 2 first counsins).
I can't believe how common these breast calcifications are and the frequency these stereotactic core biopsy's are done.
hello everyone, i'm new to this site. recently i had my mamo and subsequent 'further films' for new areas of calcifications not seen on previous mamos. the new areas read as pleomorphic calcifications on the report. per suggestion, i am scheduled to see a surgeon early december. the birad lists as 4. even though i am a nurse, all of these are fairly new terminologies to me, and scarry ones at that. i'm soon to be 49 years old. my prior mamos always showed calcifications and resulted in two other visits to surgeons who reviewed and said no intervention necessary at those times. to my knowledge, no history of breast cancer on either side of my family. i appreciate reading all of your experiences and witnessing your mutual support to each other. i hear advise to patients every day not to be unduly alarmed before the results are in but when it's this close i now see how those words can seem simple meaningless! it's also very true how hard it is for the shoe to be on the other foot. as a nurse, believe it or not, we are often the first to receive specific test results to relay to the physician. not being in that drivers seat now is frustrating. since i see the surgeon at work routinely he has made suggestion of maybe a stereotactic biopsy. i know that decision can't be made for sure until my visit with him and he reviews all the information. i had never heard of this particular avenue until recently(and with further investigation with sites such as this). you are all very special people to share your experiences as you do. hopefully in a few weeks i'll be able to share better than expected results of my own with you all. bless you all.
Don't apologize for writing too much, we are here for each other. As a patient, I personally felt more comfortable with a breast specialist. In fact, I went to a breast oncology surgeon for my biopsy before I even knew. I guess in my heart I knew I had cancer and decided to cut through the chase. Don't accept a "probably" answer. "Probably" doesn't cut it when it comes to your life. You said you had a birads of 4 which would make me want to investigate this further. I personally would not feel comfortable with a general surgeon doing a breast excision. I would want a breast specialist. Remember, the more of anything that anyone does, the better they do it - technique gets better with practice. If you feel that you are getting a run-a-round then maybe it is time to move on. However, this is not something slack off on either. There is nothing wrong with second opinions. Take your pathology reports from the stereotatic and find yourself a breast specialist. Until you feel comfortable with what you are being told, you will not be a peace with yourself. This is not a situation to look back on with regrets. Remember, you are the priority. Good luck to you and God Bless.
Dear moogiemom: The type of biopsy is usually determined by the breast surgeon. Often an excisional biopsy (removing a sample of tissue that will include the calcifications) is chosen because it is most likely to confirm the diagnosis and least likely to miss any tissue that might be concerning.
Unless your DCIS is in a fairly small cluster and they plan to remove it all with the "biopsy" (which sounds more like a lumpectomy to me), I would get another option or ask them if they can do a stereotactic biopsy first instead. I had extensive DCIS in one breast and after having an MRI and stereotactic biopsy to confirm, I underwent a mastectomy on Aug 10th and and very happy with my decision. They found a 1.6 cm invasive cancer which they had not seen in the other tests and there was no detectable lump as it was behind my nipple. If you would like to talk more I am millera04(at)comcast(dot)net
A related discussion, removal os a mast that didnt show up in a mammogram was started.
A related discussion, calcification was started.
A related discussion, subtle calcifications was started.
After the failed attempt at core needle biopsy, I was sent to have an ultrasound (two weeks later). The radiologist then told me that I had 2 calcification clusters, one at 9:00 and one at 12:00 in my right breast and that the positions of the clusters were "unusual" and she decided to sent me back to mammography (in 3 weeks) for another attempt at core needle biopsy, telling me that it was possible that my "appointment" before had not been long enough and she would book me for a double appointment to allow the surgeon more time to manipulate my breat to complete the procedure. She then told me that maybe only one of the clusters could have the procedure and I would have to return to ultrasound for wire insertion for a surgical biopsy. This is all sounding quite confusing, I know what the procedures are, but I concerned about the timelines. I waiting another 3 weeks for the core needle biopsy This puts me into 2 months of waiting and unanswered questions. What do I need to ask, I'm at a loss? Is this waiting period usual?
Thanks for your response - very nice of you to get back to me. Am reassured to learn it's slow growing.
Arles
Arles
I had DCIS also. In June I suddenly had neon yellow discharge after driving several hours. At that time I was just shy of being 2 years post reduction surgery. Doctors did numerous (and expensive) tests until August. I had a lumpectomy on each breast 8-2-04 and I then had a bilateral simple mastectomy on 8-16-04. Eight days later was in a collision....rear ended at a red light. My shoulder belt works quite well and snapped me back abruptly. Had bruising but it was well positioned so neither incision was disturbed. The first of October I noted a lump on the right. (at the time of surgery this side had no Ca...just moderate epithelial hyperplasia). I thought the lump to be a Lipoma. Unfortunately, It began to grow and become quite firm....looked like I was growing a potato shaped lump that was measurably changing week to week. Saw my GP and was told to see my surgeon ASAP. Due to holidays I could not get in until 1-6-05. Doc took a look and feel and said "we need to treat this very aggressively." I am scheduled for surgery the 17th...again... He is calling it "a chest wall mass". I am not sure what to expect next but guess I will face it (and hope for the best) I am disappointed to have further problems after the mastectomy. My greatest concern other than expense (with no insurance) is my 81 year old Mom who lives with me. Prayers, please!
The surgeon did the right thing (in fact, a needle gives way more info than the ultrasound, which in my opinion is rarely needed for something you can feel.) It's well documented that if a lump has an innocent feel (as judged by an expert, such as the surgeon), looks ok on mammogram, and if a needle sampling shows non-worrisome cells, then the chance it's cancer is nearly zero. At which point whether you have it removed or not depends on you: if you're reassured by all that, then it's very safe to leave it: I'd always recommend a recheck in 3 months anyway. But if it'll drive you crazy, it would likely be very simple to remove it.
Have just been diagnosed with DCIS - very small area 2mm x 8mm. cytology result showed & that it was 'at least intermediate grade' but doctor giving me results told me it "had no legs" at this stage & I need wide excision followed with radiotherapy. It's summer hols here in Oz and my surgeon of choice can't see me for another month. Can I afford to wait or should I be looking at getting this done sooner? Am 49 and not yet menopausal, infact am on pill due to heavy periods. Anyone in / been in similar situation? Many thanks
hello everyone, i just started on Tamoxifen yesterday. I am not sure how I feel about this. It scares me a little. My surgeon wants me to have an endometriel biopsy yearly with my pap smear to detect any cancer from this med. Is this the normal course?? I had DCIS Stage 0 with lumpectomy(partial mastectomy) i'm one breast size smaller on the right now. With clear margins and 3 negative lymph nodes. I had 36 weeks of radiation. and now the Tamoxifen. I am 44 years old, guit smoking 18 months ago. I have gained 25 pounds. Is it true that the Tamoxifen can also cause weight gain. I just ordered a treadmill and have been really watching my calories for a little over a week. I also have a family history of heart disease, so i don't want to put on too much weight. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. This sight has been a god send, and I hope they are able to continue. God bless all of you who respond to our questions and to the surgeon.
I understand DCIS is very slow...but if you are uncomfortable waiting another month then by all means ask your Dr of choice to refer you elsewhere if unable to still your fears or get you in sooner himself/herself. I started with one surgeon...a very good one but I didn't like the hospital she practiced at. She wanted to do a lot more testing that I could not afford and she agreed that in the end I would need surgery no matter what the other tests showed. I asked for a referal to which ever doctor she would choose for herself. I was very pleased and he got me in right away.
Hi everyone! I need some advice here. Three weeks ago I had a pain on the side of my right breast and when I went to feel it I felt a lump about the size of a dime. I called my doctor and made a appointment with him and he also felt it and wanted me to have a mammogram done. So I did and then the radiologist looked at it and wanted me to have a ultrasound also. Then it was the next day before I heard anything and they told me both tests came back clear-nothing. I am really scared and nervous about this lump cause I know there is something there. I made another appointment with my doctor a week later and again he felt it. He then sent me to a surgeon where he felt it also and did a needle biopsy. I won't know the results of it till Monday 1-10-05. The surgeon after looking at the mammogram and ultrasound and by feeling the lump doesn't think it is anything serious but wanted to do the biopsy anyway I guess is to ease my mind. But then again, him knowing how worried I am that this lump bothers me so much he said he could go and take it out anyway. So what you do?
Would you leave it alone if the biopsy is okay and wait to see if it changes or grows or would you have it taken out knowing it bothers and scares you?
Don't know what to do!
Would you leave it alone if the biopsy is okay and wait to see if it changes or grows or would you have it taken out knowing it bothers and scares you?
Don't know what to do!
Well had my spot compression and ultrasound at the breast center at my hospital and aside from a cyst he said I looked great!! said my tissue was good I even watched the ultrasound being in the medical field I wanted to know everything that was going on..... she was awsome , she showed me how they rread the mammogram and what they look for .... so I Thank God I got a clean slate and he said 1 year follow up!! Thank you for all your support Im going to have my margarita!! I gained 10 punds over this stress!! It is so hard waiting that was the hard part I think.....
stay in touch and good luck
Nancy
stay in touch and good luck
Nancy
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