['lizbeth]

With my experience the MRI showed 2 additional lesions that were not found on the Mammogram/Ultrasound.

The first surgeon wanted me to decide between a lumpectomy and a mastectomy.

With the second opinion, the breast surgeon quickly realized a lumpectomy was not an option, as I had multiple lesions throughout the breast.

I really got lucky with the great care I received. From my experience, I would highly encourage taking advantage of a second opinion.

I can see perhaps the mindset here is to discover cancer while it is still in an early stage, as opposed to a mammogram. And the industry does have a concern with false positives.

Since I was in my early 40s, in my case, having dense breast tissue, it was used after the biopsy to further determine the extent of the existing cancer.

My understanding at the time was that an MRI was a better tool in younger women due to the density of the breast tissue. Since women are screened at a younger age with a family history of breast cancer, the MRI would provide an advantage.

I am curious, however, at the last mammogram my technician was really excited about her new digital equipment and its ability to detect cancer at earlier stage. How does the new digital compare to the old technology and to MRIs?