Campaign free MRIs for dense breasts
I think it is about time we campaigned for MRIs to be standard for women with dense breasts and for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Who out there knows if they have dense breasts? Don't c...
Forum Discussion
Hi Suzieq,
This is an interesting area of discussion and I'm pleased to see that BCNA is lobbying for greater access to MRI for women with dense breast tissue.
I had 3 tumours in my breast, 2 of which were invasive lobular carcinomas, which were difficult to pick up on a mammogram, and even with an ultrasound the true extent of the tumours was not realised and this appears to have been partly due to the fact I also had dense breast tissue, as well as the fact that lobular tumours are notoriously "tricky". I ended up needing to have a mastectomy as clear margins could not be achieved with the initial lumpectomy. I'm sure an MRI could have provided a clearer picture ealier in the piece and perhaps have saved me from at least one surgery along the way.
Given the cost of MRIs and the enormous out of pocket medical expenses our family has endured over the last few years, further support from Medicare to recognise the need and usefulness of such technology in diagnosing and understanding the extent of disease is vitally important and surely more cost effective (both for the patient and the health system) in the long run.
Jane