Mammo...how often?

Chelee · 07-15-2006, 07:31 PM

How often are we suppose to get a mammogram? Every six months, or a year? Especially now that that I had bc in one breast?

I got this call Friday from my insurance company. It was one of those "voice activated" calls. It asked some question to make sure it was me...then went on to ask if I have had my well women mammogram this year? I said "Yes". Then it went on to say "Our records show you haven't had one".

Techincally I haven't had one THIS YEAR I suppose...my last one which found this lump was in Dec. 05. I have been to doctors appts, and doing my chemo all this time since my surgery in January of 06. (Its been 6 months since my surgery.) I JUST finished my last full cycle chemo June 12th. No one told me to have a mammo? In fact I have been concerned about my other breast...thinking isn't it time to get it checked yet? My oncologist has NOT checked my other breast even once? Nor has she recommended me to have a mammo on it? Whats the normal protocol? Maybe she over looked it? (And isn't it BETTER to get a MRI of my breast instead of more radiation from the mammo?)

Chelee

Becky · 07-15-2006, 07:50 PM

I get mammos every 6 months. I heard this is done for 3-5 yrs then you go yearly again after that. I am at 2 yrs post diagnosis now and I got one in June and will get again in December so I am still on an every 6 month schedule (I also had lumpectomy so I have both breasts). I am also 47 and my breasts aren't that dense anymore.

Kind regards

Becky

Chelee · 07-15-2006, 11:02 PM

Becky, Six months would seem right to me especially for us her2 gals. I don't have my next appt with my oncologist till September. I wonder if the other women here are getting mammo's every six months like you said? I bet they are. I hope some other women will tell me how often they get theirs since their DX? Thanks again Becky.

Chelee

Marlys · 07-16-2006, 10:18 AM

Chelee,
I was diagnosed 3/9/05, lumpectomy 4/13 & 4/25/05, AC x 4 5/2/05 to 7/5/05, Herceptin started 7/19/05, Rads X 30 8/19 thru
9/29/05. Mammogram on affected breast was done in early November and bilaterally in May of this year. Am scheduled for another in November of this year. I am under the impression that it will be on the affected side every 6 months and the non-affected breast yearly.
Hope this helps.
PS: I am Stage 1 with negative Sentinel node biopsy.
Love & hugs,
Marlys

Chelee · 07-16-2006, 03:18 PM

Hi Marlys, Thanks so much for your reply. I guess its up to ones oncologist? I would think there would be a "standard of care" protocol they go on when one of us has had bc?

I still have my one non-affected breast like you...but there has been no mention as to when I should have another mammo? So it must be some where between the six months to a year from yours and Beckys post?

I thought I might get a few more replies on this...but I guess its not interesting enough. I better call my insurance company and ask since my oncologist won't talk to me.

Thank you Marlys and Becky!

Chelee

PatS · 07-16-2006, 05:23 PM

I had a single mast. so get a mammo of my "good" breast yearly. I see my onc. every six months now and she checks both sides each time. She's always checked both sides every time she saw me. I don't understand why yours isn't checking it but would certainly ask her about it.

Pat

Bev · 07-16-2006, 06:09 PM

Hi Chelee.

Lumpectomy 1 side. My 1st mammo was roughly 9 mos after surgery, ordered by the radiation oncologist. Breast surgeon has ordered MRI. She said I could do it with the mammo or alternate. So I think I will alternate them every 6 mos. I continue to see the rad onc, surgeon and onc and they all do physical exams. There's been a time I've been checked 3x in one week. OB/Gyn also wants to do routine ovary screening.

07-16-2006, 07:50 PM

hi chelee,

I had a mammo which confirmed a suspicious lump on my left side. After no clear margins on a lumpectomy I had a mastectomy on my left side. 6 months later, the surgeon ordered a followup mammo of my right side. My next mammo is scheduled for one year later.

Jean · 07-16-2006, 08:49 PM

Chelee,

Had Mamo on 3/15/05 which found tumor...
Surgery 3/29/05 Biopsey and dx
Lumpectomy on 4/15/05
5/30/05 MRI of both breasts to confirm there were no hidden tumors that were missed by mamo of 3/15/06

Nov. 05 (6 months) had Mamo on both breasts
May 06 MRI of both breasts

I go every 6months and alternate between Mamo and MRI.....

Hope this helps....

Regards,
Jean

Chelee · 07-16-2006, 09:41 PM

Hi Bev, I am amazed at how you have had all 3 doctors do a physical exam on you. Thats darn right impressive! I am totally serious. The first physical exam I have had since my original DX which was in Dec. 05...was just recently and that was DONE at the place I went for a 2nd opinion. (So 6 months before anyone checked me out.)

Other then that...my Rad Oncologist I just went to last week...now he finally did an exam. But no one else has in the 7 months I have been seeing them?

I have had TWO onc doc's...and only the 1st one checked me out on my first visit to him. Other then that...no exams at all? (Which has really concerned me.) Sounds like your in good hands. (No pun intended.)

I like the way you can alternate between mammo or MRI.

Hi Jean, So that makes TWO of you so far that can alternate between doing a mammo or MRI...and have them done every 6 months. Seems like the place I am going to is not taking much very seriously with me.

I am so glad to see your in good hands to Jean. I can't imagine having had a mammo and two months later be given a MRI. I realize you said they were just making sure they didn't miss any other tumors. What I wouldn't do to be at a center like that.

From day one I have always worried that they may of missed something in my other breast? I even asked back then how do we know for sure there isn't a tumor/mass in the other one too? They just said it would of showed on the mammo. (We all know that isn't *always* true!) When you have a aggressive her2 bc like I do...I wanted to make sure nothing was missed. But they assured me I was fine.

Thanks SO MUCH Bev & Jean for your replies. I really appreciate it so much.

Chelee

Becky · 07-17-2006, 05:02 AM

Dear Chelee

I am not sure how old you are but if you are younger your breasts can be denser and mammo may not pick up everything. I was 45 when diagnosed. Obviously I had a tumor in my right breast but I had about half dozen clustered microcalcifications in my left breast right under the nipple. One of the surgeons I went to (I always get at least a second opinion and highly encourage others to do so) said that since I was going to be put out and have the lumpectomy and sentinel node, she would like to biopsy the left side too (the other 2 surgeons said this was a benign condition). So... I went with the more aggressive surgeon (even though I couldn't even see on the mammo what she was talking about and it wasn't addressed by the radiologist who read my mammo). Guess what.... DCIS on the left side. My lefty is not Her2 but is highly ER+PR+ versus my invasive cancer which is Her2 and ER (50%). So, mammo alone can work well if the right person is looking at the pictures.

However, I think what Jean is doing is the right thing. I toy with it but toy more with getting both of the "girls" removed. Right now, I am done with one year of adjuvant Herceptin but I have mentioned several times that I am getting 5 extra (every 3 week) treatments to take me beyond 2 years from my surgery. I wanted to get through treatment and really think the bilateral decision through. My surgeon (who last year was named one of the top 10 doctors in NJ) said that she really feels that I will be able to keep my breasts. She says that many times, the stars and moon align wrong and bc happens but with taking better care of yourself and taking as many risk factors out, things can be ok. We'll see. However, I plan the MRI route to decrease the amount of radiation the girls get, especially if I decide to see if they can "hang" around longer.

Jean - I hope you are feeling well.

Kind regards

Becky

07-17-2006, 08:29 AM

Hi Chelee,

If you have dense breasts you are better off getting a breast MRI.
A previous thread you started asked about mammos and breast MR's. For me, the mammo is useless -I am not prone to calcifications but might be someday... the onc says I should keep getting mammos anyway and FOR SURE a breast MRI every year. I also get ultrasounds when I get the mammo's. The radiologist that found my extra tumors via MRI stated that there is better evidence that all three modalities working together are better than just one of any of them alone.
I am currently a consumer reviewer for the congressionally directed breast cancer research side of the army through the department of defense (I was sponsored by this wonderful website). My point is- according to the applications for funding that I am reviewing; most all of the researchers are stating that mammos are becoming obsolete. They cannot pick-up tumors in dense breast tissue and the only reason why we still have mammos is because they are cheaper to buy, maintain and many onc's like that because it adds to their revenue stream. There is nothing wrong with making money... but I would rather pay more and get peace of mind with a breast MR than get a gazillion free mammos any day.
Always go with the latest in technology...

MTS (Maria)

Ruth · 07-17-2006, 02:36 PM

I got mammo's every three months for a year & 1/2 after diagnosis on remaining breast, then 6 months and now am up to a yearly mammo. I was nursing at diagnosis and never had mammo before. I think that they were just trying to get a good baseline mammo after my breast went back to normal ~ that's why I had the every three months. My Gyno examines breast 6 months after mammo; Onc every time I see him (every 6 months), surgeon once a year immediately after mammo; and now I have a plastic surgeon who is checking it out too! It has more action then I ever got in college!!! :-)

When I was still taking Chemo & Herceptin I got physical exam by Oncologist every week. Then it went to once a month when I was on weekly Herceptin alone.

Hope this helps! Ruth