Microcalcifications

I have lumpy dense breasts and had been sent for mammograms several times before my first routine one.

The first routine one in 2012 was reported as 'clear' nothing else and I kick myself every day for not querying that.

I paid for a private screen in 2015 and was eventually diagnosed with Her2+ breast cancer and had 4 x EC and 4 x T plus Herceptin.

The right breast was only ever reported as 'dense but unremarkable' and then last year, the radiologist announced that actually the right breast had always had calcifications and she was keeping an eye on it, with a view to performing a biopsy if she felt it had changed significantly. 

This tells me that having the one radiologist means she'll act when appropriate, hopefully, and that watching and waiting seems to be standard. 

However, the ultrasound was never booked, I had to keep insisting that I had that as i'd been told dense breast tissue needs the dual aspect screening you get with both mammogram and ultrasound, it's what you get if you pay to go privately but apparently not on the NHS. 

If I hadn't insisted on having the ultrasound as well,  i wouldn't know this, would I?

My right breast feels exactly the same as it ever did, lumpy and with the same crepey skin as the left had that everyone felt was suspicious.

I feel it is entirely possible that women are falling through the gaps in the system and that's the most likely cause of our poorer outcomes compared to say Sweden, for example. 

I'm looking for a list placing UK in or out of the top 20. ?

http://cancercomparator.abpi.org.uk/breast.shtml

that's one but you'll need to do a bit of background reading

IF we had a drug or food type to target calcifications then yes, your breast cancer could have been prevented, think in terms of drugs to reduce cholesterol etc.  Why do we get calcifications in our breast tissue, are we lacking a vitamin or mineral that would help our bodies disperse and expel excess calcium ??? avoiding the build up in our breast tissue and therefore avoiding calcifications ... I read that the milk from grass fed cattle does improve this but now can't find the article, perhaps I need to spend a few hours looking into this ...

At the moment though we want to make sure it's detected sooner and that the treatments are double checked for effectiveness. 

I wasn't offered any back up plan, I just felt I'd fallen off the end of the conveyer and was being left to my own devices, to watch out for symptoms that I'd either always had or never had, depending on your viewpoint.

I felt I was incredibly lucky that during the 3 years we now know I had breast cancer it hadn't spread.

Breast cancer diagnosis and treatment shouldn't be down to luck.

Carolyn

xx

Hi Carolyn28,

Thank you for your detailed reply. I totally agree women are falling through the gaps. I am also kicking myself for not insisting the GP refer me earlier. The fact my tumour was in the area of the calcifications point to, it was an accident waiting to happen, I strongly believe if they'd biopsied or used USound it would have been picked up. Another thing it was Grade 2 and 4.5CM and they tell me it was indolent (a lazy tumour) but that size in 6 months or so??

I realise we are behind some places in Europe who offer US along with Mammograms.

Best Wishes.

I had recall from first screening for calcification.  Two areas of  10mm and 5mm!  Both biopsied snd DCIS in larger area only.   I had surgery to remove followed by radiotherapy.  I was told by surgeon that many consider this over treatment for DCIS which may never develop further but she opted to treat not watch and wait.  I was happy with this approach but now a few years later I am concerned that I can never have Rads to left breast if something else appears .

Hi, i was screened as part of the early screening programme in 2015  and recalled due to calcifications which were biopsied and I was placed on yearly screening.  I went back  to the breast clinic due to a lump by the biopsy site and after a further biopsies was diagnosed  in January 2016 with a 3cm grade 2 invasive ductal cancer which gad sprwad to lymph nodes and high grade dcis.  The pathology report said there were malignant  and benign micro calcifications.  Had chemo, radiotherapy.  I have 2 further areas of micro calcification 1 of which was biopsied which have not changed during the last three mammograms. x

Hi helsbels 18

Thank you for your reply, that's interesting what the Pathology report said, I've been thinking of asking for a copy of my Pathology report.

Best Wishes.