I am so scared and don't know if I should wait
2 months ago I had my annual mammogram. I had a 3D mammogram, I have been doing 3D for more than 5 years because I have dense breasts. This year I received the note that everything was normal and “see you in a year.” I asked my doctor why if I have dense breasts they don't do an ultrasound and he told me that since I am having the 3D it is enough and that if they see any changes at once they will do the ultrasound. I couldn't rest easy because I knew that there are cancers that are not detected in mammograms so I had an ultrasound done on my own, paying for it, on a private center. They found a mass and classified it as BIRADS3 “possibly benign” and checked in 6 months. I am in shock. How did 3D not detect that? Did that mass grow in just two months? or perhaps they detected it but in the images it looks completely benign. Who to believe? I am so lost. Please help!
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Are you a breast cancer survivor? If not, then what your doctor said is perfectly reasonable. Even if you are, the 3-d mammogram scan is a great resource and to just be scanned by one is fine. Also, it's not just one scan for one time that radiologists use in making diagnoses. They use past scans, too. It sounds like you did the ultrasound in a different place and they don't have any past scans to compare it, too. Your 3-d mammogram does. They probably know about the lump, it's been non changing for a while, and therefore they know it's not cancer and aren't going to remark upon it. This may have been the first time the ultrasound technician saw that lump and since they have nothing to compare it to they decided it looked benign but wanted to comment on it anyway. Personally these sound like fine results, you're being screened appropriately, and I wouldn't worry anymore about it.
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I’m sorry that this has you worried but kaynotrealname explained it well. I should add that no imaging, absolutely none, is perfect. Who to believe? Are you asking about the 3D mammo results vs ultrasound? Believe both, as they were each likely accurate at the time they were done and are different imaging modalities. BIRADS 3 indicates a very low probability of cancer, so low that they are not even recommending a biopsy. Again each type of imaging is different and none are the end all and be all when it comes to a bc diagnosis, which is why a biopsy is done IF the situation merits it. Happily, yours does not at this time so a 6 month follow up sounds perfectly reasonable. Take a deep breath and know that at this point you’ve done what needs to be done and you have a follow up plan. Don’t borrow trouble! Take care
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