QuestionI am a 40 yo woman. No family history of breast cancer. Went in for baseline mammogram. Here are findings:
Bilateral mammograms demonstrate heterogeneous parenchyma. This can limit sensitivity of mammography. There is a small ovoid shaped intramammary lymph node within the middle third right breast centrally with lucent notch. No dominant mass or suspicious calcification. No secondary signs of malignancy.
Impression: THERE IS NO MAMMOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST MALIGNANCY. BIRADS CATEGORY 2: BENIGN FINIDING
In the absence of new clinical findings or change in breast self exam routine mammographic follow up recommended.
My question is this: is the Benign finding a reasonable interpretation of the mammogram results? My doctor's office told me to follow up in a year with another mammogram. Should I do something else like get a second opinion? Thanks so much.
AnswerSince the report clearly states that your breasts due to the nature of their tissues are difficult to investigate with mammography, your mammograms should ALWAYS - now and in the future - be complemented with breast MRI scans and ultrasound scans and any unclear lesion seen should always be further investigated with at least a needle biopsy! This should be done now and also regularly in the future, say once a year. Otherwise the report seems ok, so I think the diagnosis benign is reasonable at the moment.
But the program above including mammograms should be followed in the future (and also now).