I was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer two years ago.  I had regular mammograms that were clear, one mammogram was done only two months before my diagnosis!  Am I angry that my doctor never requested an MRI?  You bet I am!  My doctor knew that I had dense breasts, plus I had breast implants!  The doctor should at least have made me aware of breast MRIs and suggested that this would be a better screening tool for me.  Had I been getting an annual MRI, I probably could have been treated with a lumpectomy and radiation.  Instead, I had to have a mastectomy and I'm still having surgeries trying to improve my reconstruction.  So far I've had five surgeries, and I'm nowhere near where I should be.  The latest development is an infection which may put me back at square one.  I also have continual joint pain from the taxol chemotherapy treatment (this supposedly goes away in about a year for most women, but mine only seems to get worse).

I think this is really all about money, not what is best for women.  We should be working on getting the cost of MRIs down so they can be used more often in women with dense breast tissue and/or implants.  It's really not about which test is better -- it's about which test is more appropriate for the woman in question.

Now I insist on an MRI every year.

PJ Hamel, Health Guide

2/25/10 6:30pm

You're right to insist on an MRI - you were a perfect candidate, with both dense breasts and implants; and now with your cancer history. I'm sorry your doctor wasn't aware enough to suggest MRI as a screening tool for you. But it sounds like you'r eon the right path now. Good luck - PJH

the MRI saved my life.  My tumors were not shown on either a mammogram or an ultrasound.  And the MRI only found 2 tumors, when I had 7 total.  So if you do have a history of breast cancer, I would recommend getting the MRI.  If I hadn't had mine, who knows how long it would have taken to show up and then it might have been to late.

Melanie, Glendale, CA