Architectural distortion
I had my first mammogram ever in September with no history of breast cancer in my family. They called me back in for a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound. The doctor then came in and told me that even though she was scheduling a biopsy I would be having surgery no matter what. She said that the biopsies aren’t always correct because they may not biopsy the correct place and that based on what she was seeing on all my imaging she was 90% sure it is malignant. I have my biopsy scheduled for the end of the week, but I am scared. If the biopsy comes back as benign, is there a possibility that I should not have the surgery she has recommended? How many others have had a doctor tell them that no matter the outcome of the biopsy surgery is a definite?
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Hello @reddiat. I’m really sorry you have to be here with us!! It’s shocking to be told we probably have cancer. My larger tumor was Bi-rads 5 and I was only told that I needed it biopsied. At first I was being optimistic that it would probably be benign because I remembered reading somewhere that 8 out of 10 biopsies are … so I let that news sink in, that I needed a biopsy. But then the next day I Googled Bi-rads 5 and realized it probably was cancer. Sometimes Bi-rads 5 tumors end up being benign - it does happen, but not very often.
Perhaps there are some exceptions, but from what I researched on Bi-rads 5, if the biopsy is benign, they will say it’s “discordant” - it doesn’t match with what they saw on imaging - and will do a surgery to remove it all anyway just to be absolutely sure they aren’t missing anything. I wasn’t told that by my doctor, but I read that and understood it so I was mentally preparing myself for a surgery no matter what.
I’m glad you found this forum. It’s a wealth of helpful information for every step of the way, if you end up needing it. Hang in there! You’ll have an answer soon. Waiting truly is the hardest part!
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Hi @reddiat , Architectural distortion is often caused by radial schlerosing lesions which are benign but sometimes occur close to malignant cells. These radial scars hide breast cancer from imaging so consequently it can be missed in a needle biopsy. For this reason an excisional biopsy (small lumpectomy) is often done to get a larger tissue sample for the pathologist to examine.
Under an older protocol my AD was just noted and observed. Two and a half years of clear mammograms later an oral surgeon determined I had cancer of some sort since I had an infected jawbone that wouldn't heal. It turned out to be a 3.2 cm IDC tumor with multiple radial scars in the margins and one positive lymph node. While stage 2 is not the end of the world they probably would have found DCIS (stage 0) in an excisional biopsy when the AD was first noticed. Although it sounds like unnecessary invasive surgery my experience explains why this protocol is now the standard of care. Your biopsy may still be benign but if there are cancer cells nearby it is best to find and treat them early.
Let us know how you get on. All the best going forward.
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