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Tips for finding someone who will agree to biopsy?
I have a small mass that is in the posterior third, near the chest wall. It was seen on mammogram but could not be located on ultrasound. No one can (or will) give me an estimate on the size--it was only described as "small" and "low density." It was classified as BI-RADS 3, and I'm experiencing significant anxiety over the recommendation to wait and see and just keep spiraling over and over again at every mammogram for the rest of my life. I expressed my concerns to my PCP and was dismissed with, "you're fine, it's benign." When I pushed back saying that is not what BI-RADS 3 means, she agreed to make a referral to a breast surgeon. Breast surgeon dismissed my concerns before I could even finish saying them out loud and told me she would not agree to a biopsy, nor would any radiologist she knows.
I don't know what to do. I've been reading stories on here of people who agreed to wait and see, and when they went back for follow up, their masses were reclassified as BI-RADS 5. I know that going back to the breast surgeon and asking her to reconsider is a lost cause, so I'm going to need to look somewhere else. Does anyone know of a doctor who is empathetic and will listen with an open mind at the impact this is having on my mental health and my need for a more active plan than, "wait and see?" I'm near St. Louis, MO, but willing to travel to get answers.
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@cbfromil I wish I had a better answer for you but I waited to see if someone would answer you with a brilliant idea and that didn’t happen.
I did some hunting around on web sites and a BI-RADS 3 was described as probably benign and 0%-2% average chance of malignancy, if this is true there is almost a bigger risk from doing a biopsy on something you can’t see, than waiting 6 months and looking again.
If this were me and I was very determined, I might try a large teaching hospital. You might also have to pay out of pocket as your insurance would likely not authorize it under those circumstances.
Honestly knowing what I do know about breast cancer, I would probably be very diligent about my self exams and secure a promise of a follow up mammo or ultrasound at 6 months. Then if it is still there, maybe ask for it to be aspirated just to make sure if it is a cyst.
I understand the fear, but if it is small and low density, that might change before it shows up as BI-RADS 5.
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2 ReactionsIf you are willing to pay out-of-pocket, you can get a breast ultrasound for yourself. There are fast MRIs that are only $300.00 in some places. You can get negotiate the price at private MRI offices. I was given a Diagnostic Mammogram, as opposed to a Screening Mammogram, on my remaining left breast 2 years ago. The doctor said my chances of getting cancer in remaining breast were only 3% in the next 7 years, and therefore, I should go back to the lesser sensitive Screening Mammogram, as nothing had been seen for 3 years in my remaining breast. I refused. They found a lump and another area of calcification in my next Diagnostic mammogram. It was so fast growing that I then was given a breast MRI. I was told that they would have found my cancer a FULL YEAR BEFORE, if I had had a breast MRI! But no one would have recommended it under my circumstances. I know of several incidences where people went ahead and paid for their own MRIs for their peace of mind. Several found cancer before it grew any further.
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1 ReactionBreast MRI, NOT ultrasound.