Georgia, not every cancer shows up on mammography.  I have read that as many as 20% of breast tumors don't show up.  I don't know if that figure is still accurate with the new digital mammograms, but there are always going to be some tumors that are on the chest wall or somehow in a position that the mammogram can't find.  To "see" a tumor the film has to find a mass that is a different density than the rest of the breast.  That's one reason that mammography doesn't work as well in younger women who typically have denser breasts.  It's impossible to second guess now.  It may have been that the cancer would have already reached your lymph nodes even if a biopsy had been done earlier.  I had an aggressive cancer that had reached 16 of my lymph nodes by surgery, and my doctors moved as fast as possible from my first symptoms to diagnosis.  As you move forward with your health care, I'm sure you've learned some tricks about dealing with the system, and you'll be able to use your previous experience to push for early testing if you need it in the future.

Georgia Ivie

8/22/09 12:33pm

Is an MRI the most effective way to view the breast for tumors?  Also, for anyone out there who does not realize it, Auora Imaging now makes an MRI that is dedicated for the breast only...we only have one in the entire state of NC and that is in Winston-Salem.  Georgia

Phyllis Johnson

8/22/09 1:28pm

Georgia, I'm not an expert on imaging techniques.  It is my understanding that a breast MRI is often a good test to do for younger women with dense breasts, but that it has the down side of more false positives than mammograms.  I think most surgeons like to get images from more than one method and then compare them.  If there is only one breast MRI in NC where we have three comprehensive cancer centers plus excellent medical facilities in other parts of the state, then access must be a huge issue when an MRI is the test of choice.