Reading Mammagrams

[Sue Pendleton]

After several "not malignant looking but you need a retest in 6 months", I've had it. Has anyone studied what happens to breast tissue like the under muscle after a cervical or high thorasic level injury? I'll get a referrel for a CT or MRI and go with whatever a radiologist says to it. I have enough stress in my life. So it'll be the last.

[Sue Pendleton]

I guess I should assume male fertility, cholesterol levels, depression and which magic pill works best on getting a guy erect are all better areas of study than cure and cancer detection? So go with an MRI and if the word malignant doesn't come up then that's my last worry in this department.

[mckeownp]

I guess I should assume male fertility, cholesterol levels, depression and which magic pill works best on getting a guy erect are all better areas of study than cure and cancer detection? So go with an MRI and if the word malignant doesn't come up then that's my last worry in this department.

If you can stay still for up to an hour, barring contraindications, a contrast enhanced breast MRI is very diagnostic. BSGI (Breast Specific Gamma Imaging) is offered at the better larger Breast Centers. I am unaware SCI is a factor in breast cancer. What makes you think that?

[Scorpion]

I'm not sure what's going on with your mammograms, Sue, but if they're "iffy" I definitely think an MRI is a good idea. I doubt they can tell if something's malignant just by looking at the MRI, but the imaging is definitely better than a mammogram, so they'll likely know if they need to do a biopsy.

My Mom has stage 4 breast cancer (her second bout with breast cancer) and early detection likely saved her life the first go 'round. We're not sure why this time it was caught until it was already in her bones, but if you have a family history you should definitely get checked more often. I don't think SCI plays a role in breast cancer, but I don't think you should give up on getting regular checks if the MRI shows nothing.

[Sue Pendleton]

I don't think SCI causes breast cancer. It just appears that when muscle atrophies it can wind up looking like tendon tissue which confuses any diagnosis. And while the radiologist is happy to write it doesn't appear to be any kind of malignancy; he has a problem with putting to print that these abnormal cells are benign. And they are all clumped in pec muscle insertion areas according to my Gray's and on the C5 side not the C7 side.

I'll try going with the contrast imagining. Thanks. Sorry to hear about your Mom, Scorpion. My Dad's sister pretty much followed your Mom's story.

[mckeownp]

I don't think SCI causes breast cancer. It just appears that when muscle atrophies it can wind up looking like tendon tissue which confuses any diagnosis. And while the radiologist is happy to write it doesn't appear to be any kind of malignancy; he has a problem with putting to print that these abnormal cells are benign. And they are all clumped in pec muscle insertion areas according to my Gray's and on the C5 side not the C7 side.

I'll try going with the contrast imagining. Thanks. Sorry to hear about your Mom, Scorpion. My Dad's sister pretty much followed your Mom's story.

Tendon's, muscle & Cells are not visable on x-rays. :thinking: Perhaps you are being fed a line of shit.

[Sue Pendleton]

Actually I think she said areas. She compared the density of two areas to what tendons might look like. So probably my interpretation on this one but I got the gist. And just the feel from my self exams pre-SCI to post-SCI on the one side is not in anyway what we're supposed to be feeling. There are two large centers near me so I'll try to set up a BSGI this fall and maybe get a more understandable reason for the change and the first several mammagrams where these areas would actually shrink occasionally and then go back to my baseline. When the radiologist said 'shrank' I questioned how THAT works. This area of medicine I want to know nothing about.

[partygirl]

Hi Sue
I had a mammogram recently that was doubtful and was called in for an ultrasound. The Doc who did it said all was clear, no further investigation needed this time. It's the second time I've had a dicey mammogram. Maybe an ultrasound is the next step before the big expense of an MRI.
Just a thought.

[SCI-Nurse]

Please don't stop getting mammograms or other legitimate studies for detecting breast cancer!

I just heard today from PLG (one of the former SCI-Nurses) that she has been diagnosed with bilateral ductal breast cancer purely by finding it on her annual mammogram. Cannot feel a lump, and was doing self-breast exam regularly. She is getting married in 3 weeks, so is going to have her bilateral mastectomy 2 days after the wedding!! I pray that she will have a good outcome. Her first husband died of cancer shortly after she stopped moderating here (she quit because of his illness).

(KLD)

[Sue Pendleton]

I just want readings I understand and radiologists feel sure of. Has the VA done any comparison studies on female patients like between cervical level SCIs and lower extremity amputees? If the future continues you with 'fine', 'need a retest', 'fine', need a retest'; that's enough stress to cause cancer.

And please give PLG my best. I think I'd wait until after a real honeymoon at this point and move the wedding up.

[wheelady]

I was recently diagnosed with stage one infiltrating ductal carcinoma. I had surgery to remove a small lesion two days ago, as well as had some lymph nodes removed that will be tested to see if the cancer has spread. I will be having both chemo and radiation in the coming months. I am T10/11 incomplete paraplegic. They installed a portacath, which is an indwelling catheter located near my shoulder that will allow them to insert a needle to do the chemo more easily. The chemo starts in about three weeks, then is once a week every three weeks for about four months. The radiation will be every day for two weeks straight. Not sure when that starts. My prognosis is excellent, I'm told, since it was caught very early It was detected on my annual mammogram (I am 59). The lesion is only a centimeter big, too small to be felt. The oncologist told me that once a lump is large enough to be felt, the cancer has advanced significantly, so I'm luck to have found it so early. I urge all of you to get your mammograms. It may have been too late had I waited. I'll keep you posted on my progress.