BI-RAD 5 score
Just turned 40 and went in for my first mammogram. Have had no issues. They called me back for additional testing and did the diagnostic mammogram. After looking at those scans, there sent me over for a ultrasound. With a BI-RAD score of 5, I know there's at least a 95% chance of malignancy. I have a lump on each breast and it's spread to the left axillary. I've been playing the waiting game for days for them to can me for the biopsies. How much longer can I expect to wait? And when will I get in to see an oncologist?
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I’m so sorry you are going through this. My biopsies were scheduled on the day they told me I needed them for two days later.I have heard of other places calling a week or more later to schedule. I know the breast center I went to said they are understaffed and have a huge demand for mammograms and ultrasounds. Stay strong!! The waiting is the hardest.
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Thank you for the support. I cross my fingers every day that they'll call. Once I get the results I just hope I don't have another huge wait to get a treatment plan in place.
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We're here for you! Please keep us posted, Optimistic!
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The oncologist can't really do anything until the biopsy results are in, and then probably other scans after that and maybe genetic testing. There's no way to know how long it will take to see one. Just depends on their schedule. Maybe you can try to get an appointment set up now?
Waiting is the worst part! ♥️
It's pretty normal for the process to take awhile though, excruciating as it is. Breast cancer usually spreads slowly so there's not much of a rush. I had my bad mammogram in March, did one round of egg freezing, and then started chemo in mid-May.
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What other scans should I expect? Like an MRI? Or PET? I have no family history of this and I'm just at a loss as to what comes next.
I know some spread faster than others. At this point I'm just crossing my fingers that it hasn't moved into anywhere other than my lymph nodes.
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Hi, Waiting is the worst. I would absolutely call them and ask to set up the biopsy. I was lucky enough, that after returning for a follow up mammogram, I was able to have the biopsy right then. I have Kaiser. I know everyone is short staffed but sometimes being proactive gets things moving a little faste. Wishing you the best of luck.
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unfortunately we can’t help much except to tell you what we experienced — which won’t necessarily be what you experience. I was Initially staged as 2A and my surgeon ordered a CT and bone scan to see if anything had spread— which seems pretty standard. My insurance approved the bone scan, but denied the CT, by saying that a CT was only approved for stage three or four. It was completely stupid since a bone scan would mostly only identify if I was stage 4, but those were their rules and the insurance stuck to them, so no CT for me.
As far as I can tell — a year and a half after diagnosis and starting treatment— it all seems fine for me. The good news (such as it is) that while it feels like an awful, horrible emergency to you — breast cancer isn’t a truly fast moving disaster, even with a more aggressive sun-type. Try to breathe. Learn as much as you can. And remind yourself that the odds are in your favor. There are a ton of treatments for breast cancer, and even the more aggressive types often respond to treatments. This is not a walk in the park, but it’s doable, and for many of us it’s curable.
i was 41 when I was diagnosed with no family history. It’s a hell of a journey that I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but as you will see on these boards it’s far more common than most of us knew and there is a ton of support and information available here0 -
Thank you for your response. I appreciate you sharing your journey and I'm glad to hear that you made it through. I'm ready to do whatever it takes - chemo, mastectomy, radiation, or all 3 to get this out of my body. Waiting for them to get the ball rolling it's tough for me. I think once I have an actual diagnosis and treatment plan I'll feel a little better.
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I was also BI-RADS 5 after my very first mammogram and US (age 42). In my case, I had felt the tumor the night before my mammogram, so I wasn't quite blindsided. The radiologist who did the US also let me know (nicely) that he was confident I had cancer, which I appreciated. My biopsy was originally going to be scheduled about three weeks out, but a cancellation meant I could get in about a week later. From there, it was three weeks until I saw the surgical oncologist and reconstructive surgeon, then two weeks until surgery (due to COVID there was earlier than normal availability). My sentinel node involvement wasn't discovered until surgery, so I was then scheduled with the medical and radiation oncologists (they wanted me healed from surgery first). I started chemo six weeks after surgery, and I'm in the middle of that now with radiation to follow.
Stay optimistic! Attitude is everything during this most unfortunate experience. I hope you're able to get scheduled soon, the waiting is really the hardest part.
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The breast center I go to did my mammogram, then I got notified I was Birads 5 and needed an ultrasound and possible biopsy. They do the biopsies right there after the US, which is nice. Then I got an appointment set up with one of their breast surgeons, who explained everything about my particular type of cancer and scheduled an MRI, which she uses to assist her in locating the tumor when planning the lumpectomy. Even before I had my mammogram, I had been referred to a hematologist by my PC since I'd been losing weight and had a few slightly off blood levels. Well, it turned out that she was also the oncologist the surgeon told me I'd need to see, so I set an appointment before surgery - although some people don't see their MO until after. Since I still smoked at that point, she scheduled a non-contrast chest CT for a close look at my lungs. They were fine, but it turned out I also had kidney cancer. So about a week after surgery, I got scheduled for more CTs (contrast of chest, abdomen, and pelvis) plus a bone scan. But I don't know if those are routine or if they were done because I had a bonus cancer. That summer was kind of a blur! 🤪 Your MO should explain everything based on your particular circumstances.
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while you are waiting may I suggest that you register at the NCCN website and read up on the treatment guidelines for breast cancer. That way, you will be well prepared when meeting your team.
My son and his family also live in Missouri. You have some top notch facilities there. I wish you well..0 -
I'm not sure I even remember which scans I had now. Maybe an MRI or CT after the biopsy? I don't think I had a PET until the end of treatment when they wanted to see if any cancer was still lurking around. Like everyone else said, waiting really is the worst part. Not knowing anything about anything is a close second. The breastcancer.org pages are SO helpful. I'd read as much of them as you can about the basic stuff and then the specific pages relevant to you as you start getting more information about your case. Just knowing what all the terms mean makes it easier when the doctors start throwing a bunch of mysterious medical words at you. With my recurrence I didn't even know where it was at first because I'd never heard the names of the specific body parts before. I had to google it.
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