Breast cancer question. Please help?

Question

My mom is 53 and she went for a mammogram last week and the clinic called her back today saying the technician would like to see her on Tuesday for a breast ultrasound for her right breast. The lady on the phone told her they saw something suspicious on her right breast and she has no symtoms of cancer..no family history of breast cancer, no lump, no signs of cancer and I am so scared for her. Can she have breast cancer or what else can it be if it is not breast cancer, I'm really scared.

Answer 1

This is not unusual. The clinic would do this whenever anything unusual appeared on the screening mammogram. An ultrasound would help distinguish between a tumor and a cyst.

But to answer your bargaining points: most women who get breast cancer have no family history of breast cancer, and the mammogram is showing a sign of cancer.

There are lots of other things it could be, and the odds are that it is one of these other things. Try not to worry. Even if they want to do a biopsy, most biopsies are negative too.

Answer 2

she could....but it was caught early, so there is a better chance of her getting over it.  

Answer 3

Breast cancer does not usually have symptoms until it is advanced. The lump she does not feel may be deep within the tissue or too small. However it very well may be a benign condition which is much more common. Additionally the breast changes as a woman ages and these changes may show up on a mammogram and need to be checked.  

Answer 4

maybe i hope not! :( :( just pray to god and have faith please answer mines?http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=2...

Answer 5

You never know, but be glad they caught this early whatever it is.

My cancer was not caught by mammogram  or ultrasound or by a nuclear scan called a sestamibi scan.

My little Pug dog kept nuzzeling my breast area where a small lump was and was determined to keep trying to get to that area on my breast when I was sitting down.

So I kept going back to the Dr office and they kept rolling their eyes when I came in the office like I was an idiot thinking I was sick when I was not.  They finally agreed to do a biopsy.

  My needle biopsy day the surgeon said it was not cancer, the pathology came back 3 days later positive cancer.

It was so bad I had to have immediate mastectomy now have both b*****s removed.

Of 8 aunts and cousins, I am the only one with cancer.

Answer 6

About one in ten women get called back for additional studies after a routine, screening mammogram.  So, your mom is not in an unusual situation.  The far majority of these call back studies show benign (not cancerous) results.

When a woman is called back to have a breast ultrasound, there are a couple of scenarios.  First, your mom might just have some dense breast tissue.  Young women have dense breast tissue.  This is the tissue that feels lumpy and hard.  As we age, the dense tissue turns into fat.  Even 53 year old women can still have a lot of dense tissue.  This dense tissue appears white on mammography images, while the fatty tissue appears dark grey.  All signs of breast cancer (either a mass/tumor or microcalcifications) also appear white on mammography film.  So, it can be very hard to see white pathology (cancer) through the normal, white dense tissue.  It is like trying to see a white volleyball in a the snow in a photograph. Sometimes, a breast ultrasound are needed in these cases, just to ensure nothing is "hiding" behind that white tissue.

Other times, the radiologist sees a mass. Many masses are benign....they are not cancerous and they will not magically become cancer.  Your mom could have a simple cyst (the most common finding after a breast ultrasound) or fibroadenoma.  In the far majority of cases, the radiologist will determine that this area is benign.  Even after a breast ultrasound, a radiologist might suggest a biopsy. Even if your mom's case goes as far as a biopsy, around 85% of these are benign.

Worst case scenario, your mom may eventually diagnosed with breast cancer. But, if you think about it logically, this is not life ending. It means that your mom was diagnosed early....before she had an advanced lump could grow large and long enough to be felt. This is what regular screening mammography is designed to do! Mammography is designed to find early breast cancers, which can not be felt. The survival rate, in these cases, is about 96%!

So, it is not a bad sign to be called back for more images. I know it is human nature to worry, but think about all of the energy you will have wasted, if you find out your mom is fine.  The odds are that she is fine.  Best wishes.......  

Answer 7

It is better to find out then not know, I to had a similar exsperience and it turned out to be a cyst,no cancer, a woman can also have cacium deposits in her breast to.  I woud just take it a day at a time, and wait to see what the test show.  The ultrasound will tell you more of what it is, I also have had this done. no pain envolved, so try not to worry, and just wait to see what the test shows.