Missed cancer at screening

Hi Pearlsasinger welcome to the forum and I am so very sorry to hear about  what has happened for you. I cant personally say  this has happened for me and I actually owe my life to Mammograms as I couldn't feel anything with my Breast Cancer and the mammogram picked up mine.  Its interesting that the Health Board have accepted liability as Mammograms are not 100% totally reliable and things can be have been missed for others before. Is this what has happened for you? 

Sorry to hear you've been diagnosed.  How big a lump did they miss & was it at screening unit or breast care unit?  God I'm nosey

I was diagnosed in 2015 with DCIS after recall from my first routine screening,  I had breast calcifications which can be benign or not!  I had both !  I had no lump,

 Then had surgery & radiotherapy followed by 5 years of annual mammogram.  My BC unit very thorough, they even did a biopsy in year 3 on good breast for an area that was likely a bruise but might have been something else.  It was a bruise but they repeated mammo after biopsy result to ensure all good.  Then back on to routine screening and they recalled me to check stability if my other breast calcifications via an enhanced imaging mammogram.  

I'm often curious if they missed something with one of my sisters,  She had a brain scan late 2010 apparently .  I say apparently as her GP told her that her scan was clear.  She was adamant she hadn't had a scan and if she had she hadn't told anyone which is odd.  She was complaining of severe head/neck aches and a few other symptoms throughout 2011 but they told her brain scan clear so she must be depressed!  Jan 2012 diagnosed with GBM4 brain tumour after a brain scan when admitted as emergency due to severe symptoms,  Died a month later.  They said they reviewed earlier brain scan and nothing showing.  Her family didn't pursue further as due to type of tumour it wouldn't have changed outcome but it might have meant she wouldn't have been fobbed off for months.  

Similar situation. I had mammogram and ultrasound but Surgeon asked for biopsies as physical changes caused concern. Await Treatment plan after MRI/ Lymph Node Ultrasound. 

My lobular didn’t show on mammogram but I found a lump and had a slight dent on the outside , that came and went . 

They couldn’t even see it on the ultrasound  until pressure applied . 

iI’d found another ( same?) lump 16 months earlier but was told was a cyst . I’d been checked privately for a 2nd opinion . I’d had a mammo 7 months earlier . 

Yours must have been visible on a mammo or they wouldn’t have admitted liability .

i find it mad that they aren’t using AI , which picks up more BC than human eye …

Lobular often doesn’t show on mammogram. Especially if you have dense breast tissue. Mine only showed on an ultrasound and that’s after I’d felt a lump and that’s after a clear mammogram in January 2024. I think mammograms miss about a quarter of breast cancers I guess it’s why checking your boobs is so vital. I really hope your journey improves…..

Thanks. I know of a few ladies who have had lobular and it HAS shown. But I have dense breasts. So many ladies aren't aware of the importance of those and to check their boobs. They assumemamograms are fail safe....