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Wednesday, October 22, 2008 Barbara Crelia asks

Q: I have level 1 IDC, with MRI to follow.do they usually find more in the MRI

I had a biopsy and the took samlpes from my breast and a lymph node under my arm. The results was I had IDC level one. I'm having an MRI to see if it has spead to any other place in my body. Does it usually spread if it is a level one. Is that the reason they want to do the MRI or is that the norm. Thanks   Barbara

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10/22/08 6:56pm

Barbara, I've never heard of having a full-body MRI for stage 1 breast cancer. Are you sure you're not just having a breast MRI? That's more common, but controversial; MRIs pick up a lot more than mammograms, but a great percentage of what they pick up is benign. Still, you'd have to go through the biopsy process; and that's the reason they're controversial. Many women are led to believe, by the MRI results, they have more breast cancer than they actually do, and they go through the stress and surgery broughton by an MRI, only to find out it was all for nothing. Was the lymph node benign, or did it show cancer? If no cancer in the lymph node, there's almost no chance at all it's spread. If I were you, I'd get more informaton (lymph node involvement, or not?); and then ask specifically the reason for the MRI. Do you have a family history of breast cancer? Are you very young? Very small-breasted or dense-breasted? BRCA gene mutation? Any of these might call for the added protection of an MRI, but the American Cancer Society recommends against standard screening MRIs, except in special cases such as the ones I mentioned. Best of luck - PJH

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10/22/08 7:35pm

Hi Barbara,... do you mean a P.E.T.  scan of your body??? that they will do..just to scan your whole body for any other possible cancer... they give you a radioactive sugar injection.cancer likes sugar.. so it lights up with metabolism of the radioactive material.. or an M.R. I...of your breast.. which I also had.. there can be false positives.. but go to a very reputable center with strong radiologist... better safe than sorry... my M.R.I.. biopsy was positive.. as was as C. Applegate's... just very early detection...so If I just had a lumpectomy..I would have had a reoccurance later... with the M.R.I. spot.. I took the breast off.. called multicentric breast Ca...good luck, knowledge is power..love lia

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