Radial Scar
Hi All,
Just looking to connect with people who may have had similar experiences or diagnosis.
I went for my first breast check, age 32 due to a concern on my right side. This was clear on imaging, however the ultrasound found architectual distortion on the left. This lead to a mammogram, mri, core biopsy and lumpectomy.
Final pathology was 2 x separate radial scars, Florid benign changes including fibrocystic changes, UDH, PASH, sclerosing adenosis, apocrine adenosis, columnar cell change, columnar cell hyperplasia, and duct ectasia. The radial scar extends to the inferior and superior margins.
Luckily no malignancy found (after a Birads 5 score from imaging, so what a relief!)
I also have Cat D density and moderate BPE on the MRI for both sides..
Just wanted to reach out to people who have had similar stories and what it looked like for them going forward with subsequent risk.
Comments
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Hi @emmay92, I’m glad your birads5 imaging was not cancer. Radial scars are benign but grow in a tissue environment that is favorable for breast cancer. They can also hide tumors on imaging. I had a mammogram callback for architectural distortion which resulted in a birads2 score. Two and a half years and two additional clear mammograms later a 3.2 cm tumor was found after an oral surgeon told me I had cancer somewhere since I had osteomyelitis in my jawbone (strange but true.) The pathology report said the tumor margins contained numerous radial scars which explained why it was missed. Since I probably have radial scars remaining in my breast post lumpectomy my surgeon recommended that I have a manual breast exam by a provider experienced in this twice a year so that anything not visible on imaging can be caught as soon as it is palpable.
From what I have read the chances of cancer occurring with a radial scar are anywhere from 2% to 40%. If this happens it is usually DCIS but in a few instances (like mine) it is invasive. Be vigilant and in addition to mammograms have yearly breast exams done by a women’s health provider who is specifically trained in this. Hopefully you’ll remain cancer free.
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@emmay92 - Welcome to the community! It’s such a relief to hear that your imaging and pathology results didn’t reveal any malignancy, especially after a BIRADS 5 scare.
A big thanks to @maggie15 for sharing such a helpful and informative post. 💖
If you're interested, we have an article on Radial Scars that might be helpful to you.
We hope you find this space a supportive place to share and learn as you navigate your next steps. Let us know if there's anything we can do to support you!
Sincerely,
The Mods
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