Mammography Poll

[astrid]

My last poll was dropped from the forum last week so I am doing this one again.

Curious as to who found their lump first and who found their lump via a Mammogram

My 42 year old sister is hesitant to get a mammogram. She has never had one. I think she is afraid to get one and uses excuses like, they are not reliable, they cause cancer by radiation, etc…

We have a very strong history of breast cancer. Both my maternal grandmother and my older sister died very young from breast cancer. My grandmother was 53 and my sister was only 40. My sister was diagnosed stage IC, like I am and metastasized within 6 months. This was ten years ago, before Herceptin and HER2 testing.

I have very dense breasts so my mammogram was inconclusive for several years. I had a large white area on my mammogram for several years that never changed until I felt a lump my self. In hind site, I wish they had done a needle biopsy much sooner. Mine was visible on the mammogram and palpable when I was diagnosed.

How soon after your annual mammogram was your cancer diagnosed?

[Christine MH-UK]

I went in with a lump that I thought possibly might be a cancer, but the cancer turned out to be elsewhere, so I wasn't quite sure how to vote. For some reason, the ultrasound didn't pick it up. It was a really devious one. None of the imaging techniques, including the MRI, accurately gauged its size.

Due to age and lack of family history, this was my first mammogram and not routine.

[Margerie]

I found the lump myself. I have dense breasts. I had "clear" mammo 3 years before at age 35. They did not recommend another until 40. So when I found the lump at 38- the mammo did show the disease then. So a small tumor will not show up on a younger/ denser breasted person. But mammos, scans and self-breast exams are all we have right now. Since mammo is not invasive, I think it is a good idea to get one.

[rinaina]

My lump was not palpable by anyone so thank goodness for my yearly mammograms and a sharp radiologist who caught it on the films. No one could feel my tumor.

[AlaskaAngel]

There is a big family history for me and my sisters (older sis and I have had lumpectomies for bc) plus mom, granny, aunt, ad nauseum. BRCA negative.

My younger sister feels the same way yours does and even though mine was eventually picked up by mammogram I don't want to recommend a mammogram to her.

I had one screening mammo in my early 30's, then none until 48 (clear) but dense breasts. At 49 I had another and 6-month follow up recommended. Followed up at 6 months, and had diagnostic mammo plus ultrasound with recommendation for biopsy. Neither the rads doc, my surgeon, or my PCP ever told me there was any recommendation for biopsy and the surgeon recommended "waiting 3 more months". Second mammo and ultrasound picked up the real cancer and another rads doc recommended biopsy, but the surgeon completely confused me with different patient and it wasn't until I ordered my own third ultrasound 2 months later that I found out yet a third rads doc recommended biopsy.

I think it is quite possible that the mammo I had at age 48 triggered the cancer, since HER2 grows so fast and mine is documented to have grown from 1.01 cm at the second mammogram to 1.6 cm just 2 1/2 months later.

In my opinion, anytime a rads doc describes the breasts as being especially dense, if there are other risk factors such as family history, or nulliparity, etc. the patient should be entitled automatically to at least a bilateral full sonogram of both entire breasts, whether or not there are calcifications, if the doc or the facility or the insurance is unwilling to provide an MRI.

I also think we should also automatically receive a printed copy of the mammogram results within 2 weeks of the exam. I did go through the proper channels at the time to request a copy of my first mammo and ultrasound and it was a nightmare trying to get it, and when they did send it to me it was the wrong report.

AlaskaAngel

[ggweber_2000]

There was no family history of breast cancer. I had had a sterotactic biopsy of microcalcifications on left breast and had gone for my 6 month followup mammogram. Nothing showed up on it. 1 1/2 weeks later i found a lump in the right breast and did nothing about it for almost 7 months. It turned to be cancer. I had my mammogram films sent to CA and had the radiologist look at them. They stated they could find nothing suspicious on the films either. So even if you have a normal mammo and you find a lump even the next day make sure you have it looked at immediately!

[StephN]

No family history of breast cancer in first degree relatives.
Dense breasts is an issue for me and my 2 sisters. At the age of 51, when I found my lump while taking a shower, I still had quite dense breasts. My letter with mammo results says I STILL have dense breast tissue and remind me to do monthly self checks. My sisters have no qualms or issues with getting screening mammograms. Their GPs remind them.

I discovered my lump just 3 months after my annual mammogram.

On the issue of mammograms and more radiation to our bodies. There are many clinics now that have machines which use digital imaging and NO radiation. This technique is known to be more effective in screening and diagnosis than other methods.

Also, with a family history, you sister may be able to get a doctor to recommend breast MRIs, if this is available in her area.

[Christine]

It is interesting to note that both Mamo's and self breasst exams can be the best way to ensure an early Dx. I routinely did shower self breast exams monthly. When I discovered a small gumball size lump that was relatively hard when given resistance with 3 fingers on both hands on both sides of the lump, L realized that cancer were noted to be hard , and cysts were softer. Mammography helped to confirm my lump at 1.5 cms. Biopsy confirmed it's malignacy.
Also found recurrence outside the breast. So Mamography has its limitations after early dx with the potential for recurrence anywhere you have nodes on the same side as as your primary BC.We need always to be cheching in the node areas under the armpit, collaebone, neck, and the breast or the tissue abound the sterum or chest wall. Mammo's are important, But to be more cofident, check your own BODY AT ANY STAGE.

Dear Friend,
I did not participate in the poll because my presentation was atypical. I presented with an enlarged lymph node in my right axilla. I had been to my ob-gyn for my yearly physical a month prior to my diagnosis. He did a breast exam but he did not examine my axilla. I did not know at the time that breast cancer could present the way mine did. Before my lymph node was biopsied, I had a mammogram, sonogram and breast MRI to try to find a primary tumor. A small primary was found on MRI on the opposite side that biopsy proved to be a completely different cancer from the lymph node on the right. The lymph node was her2+++, er/pr- and stage 3c by PETscan (a small supraclavicular node was evident by PET scan). The small tumor in the breast was her2-, er/pr+ and probably stage 1. I say probably because I had neoadjuvant chemotherapy due to the stage 3c on the right. The fabulous news that I shared on the profiles in courage board is that when I had surgery after 6 months of chemotherapy, I was in complete pathologic remission. Since surgery provided no information about the her2+++ primary, my doctor told me that it was either too small to be seen on MRI and went away with the chemo, I had diffuse cells on that side and no solid tumor, or my own immune system took care of the primary but not before it metastasized to my axilla. I have gone into much more detail than anyone wants to read, but I just want other people to know that a breast exam and a mammogram are imperative, but they were not enough for me. My presentation is called occult breast cancer and I would love for everyone to be aware so that mothers, sisters, daughters, and any who has never had this problem will be aware that examination of the axilla is yet one more way to try to catch the disease in a curable stage. I am blessed with renewed health and hope that we will all be blessed with a healthy tomorrow.

Love to you all, Kathy

[Ginagce]

I tell women this all the time....I've been diagnosed with cancer twice in both breasts (DCIS/LCIS 97-IDC/IDC 04 with lymph node positive) and never ever had a lump. Mammography saved my life!

Ginagce

[AlaskaAngel]

Clearly by the poll results people here overwhelmingly feel mammography is useful, and I am definitely standing off by myself in questioning it. I don't think there is any real way to know for sure whether or not it causes the cancer that people are then extremely grateful that it also usually finds... unless a time comes when we have better ways to detect bc and the rate of bc drops.

How many of those who believe radiation from x-rays or mammograms did not cause their cancer never have had any prior radiation? We already get some radiation from the sun as well as from radon.

Repeated radiation by mammograms did lead to the identification of my tumor by ultrasound. But I simply can't feel sure that it didn't cause it either, or that the radiation I received as treatment is not the source of second cancers and recurrences, either in the affected breast, the other breast, or elsewhere.

AlaskaAngel

Your points are well taken AlaskaAngel. I have also wondered if all the previous radiation I have received was a contributing factor to me getting breast cancer. Between dental x-rays,(no matter how dental professionals minimize them and I am a hygienist), chest x-rays, bone density scans, x-rays for diagnostic purposes,(ie: broken bones, kidney problems, ct scans, mammograms, etc.) I don't know what the answer is, however, we are our own best advocate and we have the final word in making a decision whether to have a test or not, for example, I do not have dental x-rays as often as most dentists or hygienists recommend mainly because of my good dental. health history.
Another concern along the same lines is the radiation we receive as treatment as well as the chemo we receive....could they be causes for future cancers? I have heard of people getting leukemia from chemo. We are all faced with medical decisions and all we can do is research extensively and make an educated decision that is best for ourselves given our own set of circumstances.