Topic: Dense Breasts/Anxiety Returns

Hello sisters,  OK here is the deal.  Nothing suspicious showed up on MRI, lots of tiny cysts, enhancing mild background parenchyma (leaf? anyone?) in both breasts, some surgical changes, a couple clips, etc.  The radiologist's impression noted that the "palpable lump should be managed by clinical evaluation", which is what happened today.  Surgeon felt it and said "it has to come out".  It is a lump about the size of a large pea with a hard spot in the middle.  He drew it on paper and we agreed we were feeling the same thing.  So off I go again for excisional biopsy.  Waiting for scheduler to call.  This is my 3rd Nov in a row going through a biopsy.....Of course I have been all over the internet about MRI missing things and of course it does, usually ILC.  But I am not going to get upset yet.  Any info anyone has regarding lumps with hard qualities or the accuracy of MRI, please tell me.  Maybe it is just scar tissue.  It is right under my lumpectomy scar, so he can open that back up.

 Thanks for all the good thoughts and encouragement.  I will let you know when I know anything.  Meanwhile any info (good or bad) is appreciated.

XO, Kimber 

Sending a big UGH!! for you. Another biopsy...so sorry...Still sending B-9 thoughts your way.

And here are a couple of Big (((Hugs)))

parenchyma are the parts of an organ that are essential to its functioning, as opposed to things like a capsule that encompasses an organ.  So, I would assume the parenchyma of the breast would be the lobules and ducts, as opposed to the more fatty parts of the breast.

This site claims "<font>Regardless of breast density, if a breast cancer is present, breast MRI can detect it greater than 95% of the time, while mammography can detect cancer approximately 80-90% of the time." http://www.mgh.org/nuclear/breast_MRI.html</font>

In this study, it sounds like fat necrosis (which is benign) can look like a malignancy under MRI. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12140154

I can't find studies that look at breast lumps with MRIs specifically.

I hate it when my  LCIS sisters have to go through this!