I have recently been diagnosed with ductal carcinoma also and I thought I was doing pretty good all these years too.  I am 52 years old and my perky medium sized 25 year old breasts always looked just fine.   Longevity seems to run in my family I thought that was a plus against breast cancer also.  Not one time did any Dr. ever ever tell me that since my breasts had dense tissue, that the mammograms were hard to detect breast cancer.  Not once.!!!!!   I am very angry!   I feel as if  I could have been given the choice of MRI as well and not just written off as just another dense breasted woman who might have breast cancer or might not. Just can't see all that good on those mammograms with all that dense breast tissue.   I think they look at like this......oh well, we hopefully will catch it when it big enough to see on a mammogram .   "OH well,"  this is the attitude I have received from my so called Dr.s.    I feel it is a scam.   I have now been told that MRI is very expensive and costly compared to mammograms.   I say "THat is a bunch of bull".   Compared to the cost of detecting a cancer early and the cost of surgery, the cost of radiation, the cost of chemo, the cost of breast reconstruction, the cost of mental stress on the woman and her entire family....."then MRI costs very very very little.!!!!! "   I have been subjected to a medical scam as far as I am concerned.   And if given the choice of an MRI and my insurance not paying for it......I would have chosen to pay right out of my own pocket for the MRI.   But of course,  I was never given the choice or educated on this major medical flaw in this scam.   It is a racket as I say.  My family laughs at me but they also totally agree.    Don't get me wrong.  I am so happy for mammograms, but I do feel we are steered wrongly if you have dense breast tissue.  Also ,  the only thing my Dr. ever mentioned to me before, many many times....is this......"if it doesn't run in your family, your are ok. "   That is also misleading since I have since learned that 85% of breast cancer cases have no family history of bc.    Very misleading.   And family history is emphasized way way too much!    Also, I have all my records now and can see my mammograms on the computer.   I can see my cancer two years ago on my mammogram( which was read and diagnosed as "negative") and I am not even a radiologist.   I will pursue this matter too.   How many other women has this radiologist hurt?  My report from him was....".negative."   No indication of anything.  And I can see my tumor plain as day.   I encourage everyone to get their x-rays, their reports, and keep track of each and everyone.   And to also go to a Breast Care specialist hospital.  You can look it up on the internet, the top rated hospitals in America.   I will be going to one soon and getting out of this small town hospital where they know very little about up to date treatments on breast cancer.  One thing I have learned thru all this is.....just because a Dr. has perservered thru med school  does not mean they are smart.  They just learned a little bit more than me or you on a certain subject.   And it certainly does not mean they are a caring person for their patient.   As a matter of fact, the radiologist that read my report as negative, was fired due to alcoholism and drug addiction.   You can bet I will be requesting each and every medical exam for anything I have done from now on and keep them on file.   I suggest you do the same.   Watch out for #1, yourself.   I will have a lumpectomy tomorrow and had to insist to my Dr. on an MRI before the lumpectomy.  The radiologist has found one more cancerous suspicious area in my affected right breast thru the MRI.  But for some reason he has not read my left breast MRI.  I have a friend who just found another one in her left breast thru MRI.  I have insisted on the left breast MRI diagnoses so many times since it ws done a few weeks ago and got no answer.    I tell you ......don't let anything slip by.   Watch em like a hawk.   It's a battle just to fight cancer but it is also a battle in your heart to find out all this could have been avoided years ago with the proper diagnostic protocol for dense tissue involvement.    

pheonix1111

1/10/10 5:20pm

My wife has a similar story.  Some practices around the country do MRI's when a patient has dense, fiborous breast tissue.  The practice my wife used has 10 years of mammograms showing no tumor.  They never reccomended an MRI until after a needle biopsy showed cancer.  Monclair Breast Center in NJ uses MRIs for women with dense, fiborous breast tissue and does not have a problem with false positives.  Why are MRIs not the standard of care for women with dense, fiborous breast tissue all around the country?  Does anyone know the names of practices that use MRIs for women with dense, fiborous breast tissue?  If we had a big list then maybe we could make it the standard of care everywhere.

I recently was diagnosed with breast cancer and my doctor ordered an MRI because of dense breast tissue. It showed a much larger area of involvement than the mammogram and I think that any woman that is told she has dense breast tissue should automatically request an MRI.

carolyn97222

11/22/09 9:25pm

I totally agree with this.  In some cases women have to demand it.  30 mammograms over the years didn't see any cancer - but, the mammogram showed a 4" and a 1 1/2" tumor in the same breast.  I am only a C cup so it was basically my whole breast!

pheonix1111

1/10/10 5:27pm

Does your doctor order a MRI for all women with dense, fiborous breast tissue?  If yes then please share their name since I would love to share that with my wife's doctors.  The standard of care seems to be different in different practices.

carolyn97222

1/10/10 9:59pm

If a women has dense fiborous tissue and any type of family history of BC or any symptoms - mine were inverted nipple, pain, and dimpling - she definitely should have an MRI.  If she doesn't have any symptoms, I would say she still needs to get one every 5-10 years, just to be safe. 

 

If a doctor of mine refused what I was requesting/demanding on this, I would get another doctor or at least a second opinion - that's what I had to do.

 

Some insurance companies won't pay for the MRI until you can prove you have cancer by having a biopsy.  With some doctors you have to demand an MRI.  i didn't have to demand one because I had the biopsy and symptoms.

 

These doctors have been fantastic with me and my daughters as well.  Three really good doctors in Portland, Oregon are:

      1.  Karen Ulloth, breast surgeon at Good Samaritan Hospital - she was the one that orded my biopsies and MRI.

      2.  Dr. Chui (chewee), oncologist @ OHSU (Oregon Health Science University)

      3.  Dr. Dawson, radiology oncologist, @ Adventist Hospital

 

You have to sometimes fight hard for your or your loved one's health alteratives. 

 

If I can help further, let me know.

 

Carolyn

Sal

1/10/10 11:39pm

In response to if my doctor orders tests for all his patients with dense, fibrous breast tissue. I was in consultation with an Oncologist because I had already been diagnosed with DCIS. He ordered the MRI because he had reviewed all my previous mammograms and was concerned that there could be a larger area involved that was undetected on mammogram. I do not know how to get a doctor to order an MRI when there is dense breast tissue. I would, however, request it from the doctor and see what happens. 

carolyn97222

1/11/10 12:43am

So have you had the MRI yet? 

 

Let me know the results when you get them.

 

Carolyn

Sal

1/11/10 10:43am

I had my MRI done in July 2009 and underwent double mastectomy surgery August 2009.  The MRI was extremely helpful for the Oncology Surgeon because it became apparent that the area was much larger than the initial mammogram had suggested. It was a 6.5cm area of involvement. The reason the MRI was helpful in my case is this: The surgeon knew before surgery that this would mean doing a mastectomy and not a lumpectomy since my breast size was only an A. I opted to have the second breast removed.

carolyn97222

1/12/10 12:34am

I, too, wanted to have the 2nd breast removed too, but my insurance would NOT pay for it.  Hope you are doing well now!

 

Carolyn

Sal

1/12/10 9:13am

Hi Carolyn,

It has been really nice talking to you. I have been doing really well. I had my second surgery December 18th to remove the tissue expanders that were placed when I had the double mastectomy. That was a very uncomfortable process but thank God that is now behind me. The process lasted 4 months and now I have silicone implants. The next step is to have nipples made, probably sometime in March. Then I can honestly say that this is all behind me.  I am sorry to hear that you have had such a hard struggle in being treated and I hope that things get better for you!

carolyn97222

1/13/10 4:39pm

Has anyone told you that the average lifespan for implants is 10 yrs - they can leak, break, become rock hard, make it much more difficult to locate further lumps and cancer when doing mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRI's, etc. without your knowing it.  My sister's granddaughter pushed into her breast, and it burst one of her implants.  I find all of this very scary.  I am telling you this, not to scare you, but to make you aware that you really need to be careful and have your dr. watch you very carefully also.

 

My mom, sis, cousin, and aunt all got implants.  But, because I saw all the major issues they have had, I decided not to do the reconstruction 1 1/2 yrs ago.  And, I am perfectly content with the way I am.  The only thing I would change would have been to have the other breast removed when I did the mastectomy.

PJ Hamel, Health Guide

1/13/10 6:25pm

Luckily, silicone implants are hugely improved ovr what they used to be. They can no longer "burst" or leak; they're made of a hard-gel-type material that's very flexible and, if it does get injured, isn't fluid enough to leak. So currently many women are opting for silicone implants, and are very happy with them. PJH

Sal

1/14/10 7:52am

Silicone implants are probably the only option a woman has after mastectomy. I read all the possible side effects and fine print and am very happy with my decision. Implants have come a long way and offer post-mastectomy women the opportunity to rebuild their breasts and move on to "normalcy."It is a decision that is a very personal one and for me has been the right one.