To MRI or not for first post-diagnosis scan

thank you @primek and @arpie :) 

 

To be honest, I would have the MRI as 'peace of mind'.   It will also give a 'picture' as of 'today' - and as you already have the first one - it is something for comparison further down the line.

A LOT of women's dense breast tissue doesn't diminish with menopause!  So not worth the risk, really! 

My MG AND U/S prior to surgery didn't pick mine up - and on the referral, my GP had pinpointed EXACTLY where it was & they STILL missed it!! .... and let's face it -  it could just as easily be in the other breast too, without knowing about it!  :( 

Better to be sure than sorry, I reckon!  

My breast density didn't change after menopause and my breast cancer was hidden in my mammgogram so if they think the mri will be enough I would look at it. I believe mammogram plus ultrasound picks up more also..

thank you @arpie, i will have a read! Lxx

Interesting that they said your dense breast tissue will become less dense after menopause?!!   WRONG!  Not in my case anyway (or others on BCNA.)  I started menopause 20 years ago & it lasted nearly 10 years - so have now had 10 years in full menopause & my BC was found 'by accident'!!  My GP suggested she check my  boobs when I had my last pap smear!   Thank God she did, because the Mammogram I had 6 months previous sure didn't, nor the one before that.  :(  Mine was Invasive Lobular (so had been there for a while!) - and they are the more difficult ones to detect (being hidden in 'the grapes') .... but the fact that you have dense breasts makes it even MORE likely that any other cancer in your breasts may not be picked up either.

The MG & U/S I had after my GP detected a lump - showed NOTHING!  I had a 3D MG too!  The U/S suggested a biopsy 'just in case'.  That is when it was confirmed.

Check out these couple of threads ..... we are hopeful that MRIs will eventually be subsidised, like it is currently for men - so you don't have to put your health before $!
https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/19634/bcna-go-in-to-bat-for-us-getting-subsidised-or-free-mris-sunday-paper

and - there is a pic here of different breast densities along with an image of cancer next to them, so you can see how difficult it is to pick up!
https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/comment/148500#Comment_148500

Please, also read this husband & wife story, too -  presented at the Ethical and legal considerations in breast density Workshop a couple of months ago - where they were discussing whether they should even TELL you if you have dense breast tissue!  :(   

https://www.informd.org.au/uploads/8/8/8/6/88860300/density_workshop_shephard_2018.pdf

All the best with your ongoing treatment xx

thank you @Afraser! sorry for the delay responding x
 

Go for the MRI if you can manage the cost, it will give you some peace of mind. My breast surgeon advised that breasts become increasingly easy to read as the subject gets older, but I would doubt that would happen in a few years let alone months. I didn't have particularly dense breasts and now he doesn't think I really need ultrasound (but will do it if I insist), his 3D mammograms will be quite sufficient. But I am nearly 73 not 48! Best wishes

hi @kezmusc

thank you for sharing! my apologies for the delay in responding, but i started radiotherapy which consumed me a little (but have now finished - yay!). 

i had a think again about my early discussions, and MRI was definitely something my med onc seemed to agree with as we had the whole discussion around cost! but i guess until i have my expander out i'll have to stick with the MG and u/s for now but i will be pusing for MRI going forward if i can!

having dense breast tissue and the sneaky, percolating nature of invasive lobular cancer means it is so difficult to see feel secure with the MG and u/s. the fact that i'll be having the scan results meeting a year to the day of diagnosis is also adding to the scanxiety - and i don't go for them until november! 

thanks again and soooo sorry for not responding sooner!

Luan x

Hey @Lvlw. 


I had had a mammogram done a number of years prior to my diagnosis as I thought I had felt something weird.  Result came back as just dense breast tissue. Fast forward to 2016 and BC diagnosis due to finding a lump in my lymph node.

 4 mammograms and a couple of u/sounds added in there couldn't locate it.  We knew it was there somewhere due to the node biopsy  but it wasn't until they had the exact location from the MRI that they could track it on the u/sound. .

My follow up scans always include the MRI even though they are expensive.

   I do not trust the MG or u/s  on their own.  Sometimes you just have to ask  for what you want or need to feel secure.

thanks for sharing @melclarity @lrb_03 - both super helpful xx

uh-oh :worried: i wonder if i've misremembered the initial discussions around MRIs during that horrible nightmare time of diagnosis :/ i know i said i would want MRIs going forward, but now i'm wondering if they just didn't challenge what i'd said and i've taken that silence for agreement. quite possibly!

my last appointment with my surgeon i was definitely advised an MRI wouldn't be necessary as my breasts wouldn't be as dense, but as you say @lrb_03 that wouldn't be immediate! :blush:  gosh, so much for me to learn about my own body. sometimes i feel a bit dense about it all (no pun intended!).  and thank you for letting me know about your (lack of change) in density, and about the blood tests for menopause. that's been really helpful and i'll talk to my medical onc when i see him.

@melclarity, thanks also for sharing about your bone density scans. i'm so pleased to hear that you've been able to get improvement with the injections :)

luan xx