mri or mammogram,which one is a better option for a lump in the outer quadrant?
three years back , ihad a lump in my left breast .partial mastectomy was done and histopathology showed that it was papillomatosis.i have a strong family history of breast cancer.one of my maternal aunt died during chemotherapy and one has got both the breasts removed and had completed chemotherapy.she is on herceptin ,these days.i have again developed a lump in the outer axillary quadrant of the left breast.and there is some mass(suspicious)accumulated in the outer quadrant of the left side.besides,there are anumber of cysts inthe right breast, but they are extremely small(according to ultrasound).size of the lump is 7 into 6 into 3mm.location and size of the lump are forcing me to think again and again whether mammogram would be able to detect it or mri is the appropriate choice?please guide!
Hi - I'd think you might start with a mammogram, and if that doesn't do the trick, then try an MRI. The MRI is more sensitive than a mammogram, which is both good and bad; good, because it can identify smaller, more obscure tumors; bad because it produces a lot of false positives - areas that look suspicious enough to biopsy, but turn out not to be cancer, so you end up having needless surgery. BTW, your aunts having breast cancer isn't considered a strong family history, statistically speaking; only a mother, daughter, or sister with breast cancer increases your risk. Good luck - PJH
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