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huge mass with cluster microcalcifications

I am 32 years of age and found a large mass about 5-6 cm! about a month ago in my right breast.  It is solid and seems to be of an odd shape. mammograms for diagnosis and they also found clusters of microcalcifications.
They sceduled me with an oncologist who set up for my steriotactic biopsy. They took  about 10 samples which they showed me. they looked like whitish slivers with blood tingle throughout them. Definately purely solid.
     I go back to the oncologist in 4 days for the results. Boy this is the longest few weeks of my life.
I have actually drawn up a will and living will because I am suspecting that this is going to have a bad outcome. Just a gut feeling even though I feel fine.
        The Dr. only seem to speak about the cluster microcalcifications and not much about the mass except it is solid and large from palpation. I always forget to ask them if the largness of this mass should have me worried even more then I am.
    The first visit he was just simply examining it and then didn't say much except if its cancer we will cut it out and put you on Tamoxifin  and if not we will just put you on Tamoxifin anyways for 5 years and leave it and see.
    My question is how often is a solid mass of this large size 5-6 cm found along with the cluster microcalcifications? and is something of this size usually benign or cancer with the symptoms stated.
   It does not hurt one bit and is extremely hard about 9 o'clock in right breast. Feeling the mass it feels like the size of a lime and on the underside of it I can feel what seems like a pinky size tube running down the mass. Seems to be taller then wider.
   Have dimpling over the mass when I raise my arm up straight over my head. Dimpling is about 5 cm long by 2 cm wide.
I am very worried because from what I read something of this size that is cancerous seems to fall into the more agressive stage 3 or 4. Could I already be very bad off in advance stage 4??  Thank you
4 Responses
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962875 tn?1314210036
I have sent you a private message in response to this post. Hope it will be of some help while you await the expert's reply.

Warm regards...

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Well had appointment and things are not good. Pathology report reads as follows...
    show areas of grade 2 invasive intraductal carcinoma with adjacant areas of cancerization of the lobules and grade 2 intraductal carcinoma with focal comedo-like necrosis. Focal area of atypical lobular hyperplasia are also notes. the area of tumor is within marked area. The non marked areas show focal areas of intraductaal cacinoma and cancerization of the lobules and a few areas of somewhat crushed invasive carcinoma.  
    This sounds really bad. Any one have any information on this as this is very confusing to me. Awaiting my period now so I can have MRI 5t6o help further staging and lymph node status as well as tumor size. ANy imput would be great.....
    I am just trying to understnad all the mumbo jumbo I understand that it is invasive ductal carcinoma but what does the rest mean for me? Or is this the usual information that comes along with the usual pathology report of a BC diagnosis?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
    Thank you for your response. I want to believe this is going to turn out to be nothing but benign, but everyone I have seen so far seems to say to me it is showing characteristics of a cancerous tumor. I think I have prepared myself pretty well for the possible negative out come. I am a very laid back person and have no problem fighting this disease if I have it.
I am just not sure I have prepared myself for the "what stage am I in" part because the size of the tumor itself seems to put me in the more advanced stages even if the nodes are not affected yet. Either way I will never give up hope. Still hoping for benign anyhow.
    I will try and patiently await Thursday Morning and hope that maybe someone will call me with my results rather then waiting for the appointment with the Oncologist to get answers. In this day and age of internet and e-mail wouldn't you think the results would be e-mailed over to us A.S.A.P.
    I would much rather get my results in writing, in my home then to have to go to a Dr. office and hear the news and have to try to keep it together if the news is not good. Well I will be getting copies of all my reports and will be sure to post my results. Crossing fingers.
  
      Prepare for the worst and hope for the best...............
Helpful - 0
242529 tn?1292449214
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Dear cldubsokind,  A solid mass with microcalcifications is suspicious but not definitive for a diagnosis of cancer.  There are other benign (non-cancerous) conditions that can also present as a solid mass with microcalcifications, such as a fibroadenoma.  Not until the biopsy results are known can we say definitely whether this is a cancer problem or not.  
Staging of cancer is based on several pieces of information such as, tumor size, whether or not lymph nodes are involved, if cancer has spread to other parts of the body.  At this point even if the results of the biopsy prove to be cancerous, there is not enough information for the doctor to be able to "stage" the cancer, further evaluation would still need to be done.
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