Mammogram didn't show the cancer

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Hi,  I had surgery and radiotherapy at the start of this year.  I am taking Letrozole and will have mammogram for 5 years as a follow up.  I am concerned because when I felt the lump in my breast the mammogram didn't find it.  Because I told the nurse I had a lump I had an ultrasound scan which did find it.  How can I trust follow up mammogram?  Can I ask for an ultrasound each time? 

  • I know how you feel. I had an all clear last October it was my fifth yearly mammogram after BC was found on a mammogram . In June I found a pretty big lum identified as BC from a mammogram . I went to for numerous scans and they found a cancer in the lymph gland left over from the last time. This wasn’t picked up by surgeon or mammograms because it’s up high almost under my collarbone.  I will be having a bilateral mastectomy after chemo this time. However if I hadn’t found this lump because of my age I wouldn’t have had any more mammograms anyway. Dread to think how far it could have spread from that lymph node. 
    I know it’s reliable but maybe they need to put in some research into doing alternative testing. 

    You are entitled to a second opinion so maybe that’s what you can apply in this case. 
    Good luck with your quest. 

    Three times! What did I do?

  • I'm really sorry to hear what you are going through.  At least they have found it now and are dealing with it.  I had a lumpectomy with a Licap flap partial reconstruction so my breast feels a liitle lumpy anyway and I could easily miss a worrying lump.  I think I will ring my BC nurse and ask her if I can have an ultrasound after my mammogram to stop me worrying. I hope your op goes well and you can move on.