Was your breast cancer misdiagnosed by a radiologist?

Posted by sandyjr @sandyjr, Nov 2, 2020

I am just curious. How many of you have been misdiagnosed by a radiologist. Was it on your mamo or an MRI...or something else? How many were told you did not have breast cancer when you did?

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@deb9755

I had 2 drs tell me I had breast cancer but the biopsy says no. They should wait until a biopsy confirms. One of them diagnosed me with stage 3 invasive ductal with a 50/50 chance of metastasis

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Hi
That sounds very scary. My needle biopsies showed I had dcis stage 0 and I had surgery and it turned out it was actually an invasive cancer stage 2 so just finished my second surgery for my Sentinel nodes awaiting that pathology before I start radiation

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@sue417

Hi
That sounds very scary. My needle biopsies showed I had dcis stage 0 and I had surgery and it turned out it was actually an invasive cancer stage 2 so just finished my second surgery for my Sentinel nodes awaiting that pathology before I start radiation

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I was told I had stage 3 invasive ductal carcinoma with a 50/50 of metastasis

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Yes, I most likely had the cancer 6 months before a biopsy was done. First radiologist said suspicious spot ok but come back in 6 months. Second radiologist at 6 months later said I needed a biopsy but spot had not changed in the last 6 months. 3 mm in size, actually all removed in biopsy, clean nodes and margins. However it was stage 1, invasive, had left the milk duct. Was it in situ 6 months prior? Could have been. Chose no radiation but taking arimidex for 5 years. But took a DNA test in November which shows circulating tumor cells in blood ☹️. To be monitored twice a year now.

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@mpirruccel

Yes, I most likely had the cancer 6 months before a biopsy was done. First radiologist said suspicious spot ok but come back in 6 months. Second radiologist at 6 months later said I needed a biopsy but spot had not changed in the last 6 months. 3 mm in size, actually all removed in biopsy, clean nodes and margins. However it was stage 1, invasive, had left the milk duct. Was it in situ 6 months prior? Could have been. Chose no radiation but taking arimidex for 5 years. But took a DNA test in November which shows circulating tumor cells in blood ☹️. To be monitored twice a year now.

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I'm sorry this happened and wishing you all the best.
Is the DNA test you took for only HER 2 Negative tumors? My tumor (IDC) was HER 2 Positive and I was told I could not have testing.

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Two breast care centers (in northern New England) misread my MRI. They said they saw nothing. I then went to Dana Farber who saw DCIS and a second benign mass.

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I have had two primary breast cancers but my experience with the one 4 years ago was that I had a 3D Mammogram that I was told was negative but because I have dense breasts and I could feel a lump I insisted on an ultrasound. The result was a 2 cm low grade adeno squamous metaplastic carcinoma. I then had a lumpectomy and 4 weeks of radiation.

I have had several experiences where I did not go along with a doctors opinion and I was right. I was told there was nothing wrong with me when I was having trouble breathing. I insisted that there was a problem and it turned out that I had a tumor growing around my windpipe. I then had a thyroidectomy when I was 4 months pregnant to remove the tumor.

Another time I had horrible pain in my hip, and I saw a neurosurgeon, a neurologist, a spine surgeon, a pain
clinic physician and 3 orthopedists and finally a doctor who really listened to me took an MRI and saw right away that my gluteus medias tendon had pulled completely off my hip bone. He then performed an extensive surgery and repaired it.

I have had 14 surgeries and I am very grateful to some wonderful surgeons but there are times when the doctors miss things.

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I was given a Screening mammogram in 2018. I have small, dense breasts. I was at the prime age for when the majority of women get breast cancer. The radiologist said no cancer was found, but that my dense breasts might make it hard to find small cancers, and my Internal Medicine Doctor needed to be aware of that fact. I brought it to the attention of my doctor. She said that I should not be concerned. I said that I had seen MRI pictures of my breasts and that they looked like little snowballs. I asked if some other test should be done. She said no. And that I didn't need to get another mammogram for 2 years. Two years later, my entire breast was full of cancer. There is no way I didn't have cancer that could have been found two years before. Maybe it was Ductal carcinoma in situ, then. I will never forgive her. She knows my feelings. Maybe my experience has saved some of her patients.

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@katrina123

I have had two primary breast cancers but my experience with the one 4 years ago was that I had a 3D Mammogram that I was told was negative but because I have dense breasts and I could feel a lump I insisted on an ultrasound. The result was a 2 cm low grade adeno squamous metaplastic carcinoma. I then had a lumpectomy and 4 weeks of radiation.

I have had several experiences where I did not go along with a doctors opinion and I was right. I was told there was nothing wrong with me when I was having trouble breathing. I insisted that there was a problem and it turned out that I had a tumor growing around my windpipe. I then had a thyroidectomy when I was 4 months pregnant to remove the tumor.

Another time I had horrible pain in my hip, and I saw a neurosurgeon, a neurologist, a spine surgeon, a pain
clinic physician and 3 orthopedists and finally a doctor who really listened to me took an MRI and saw right away that my gluteus medias tendon had pulled completely off my hip bone. He then performed an extensive surgery and repaired it.

I have had 14 surgeries and I am very grateful to some wonderful surgeons but there are times when the doctors miss things.

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A really applaud you for your perseverance. I sometimes wonder how anyone gets saved, in time, from anything other than very common conditions, by their doctors. Real medicine is nothing like what they show on T.V.!

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@colely

I was given a Screening mammogram in 2018. I have small, dense breasts. I was at the prime age for when the majority of women get breast cancer. The radiologist said no cancer was found, but that my dense breasts might make it hard to find small cancers, and my Internal Medicine Doctor needed to be aware of that fact. I brought it to the attention of my doctor. She said that I should not be concerned. I said that I had seen MRI pictures of my breasts and that they looked like little snowballs. I asked if some other test should be done. She said no. And that I didn't need to get another mammogram for 2 years. Two years later, my entire breast was full of cancer. There is no way I didn't have cancer that could have been found two years before. Maybe it was Ductal carcinoma in situ, then. I will never forgive her. She knows my feelings. Maybe my experience has saved some of her patients.

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I think I need to add that I also had told my doctor that I had had three benign breast tumors removed, one being ductal, and that I had had four cyst aspirations. And that my Paternal grandmother had had breast cancer. None of this information mattered to her. I should have had an ultrasound and a Diagnostic mammogram 6 months to 1 year later. I now do my own research regarding my medical conditions, and have asked for certain tests, at times. And also changed doctors over their treatment of me.

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Hi I am new to this group. I was diagnosed with ILC in my left breast (< 2cm and Grade 2) in late January. I sought a second opinion at a well know cancer center and decided to seek treatment there. The can center conducted its own ultrasound and mammogram exams and agreed with the prior diagnosis. They also did an MRI and asked me to have a biopsy at an additional site in the left breast and a site in the right breast based on the diagnostic MRI. I went there this morning and got the two biopsies. Everything was checked during the biopsy and the post-biopsy mammogram. Within an hour or so later, I received a call saying the biopsy for the right breast was not done at the spot identified on the diagnostic MRI and I need to go back and get another one. I feel confused and frustrated. Has anyone else had a similar experience? How could they not find the right spot during the MRI-guided biopsy? One thing I noticed that the radiologist decided to do the biopsies for both breasts simultaneously instead one at a time during my procedure this morning. Is that a normal procedure? So far, I have undergone three biopsies and many ultrasound and mammogram exams but there is still no surgery scheduled. I a start to lose faith. I would greatly appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

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