ultrasound report says "hypoechoic region

[sweetie2040]

i had a mamo and and ultrasound. They made me come back to take more pics on the right breast on mamo. However the left breast had a palpatable lump so they also redid the ultrasound in that area. The reports were sent to the dr who thought everything was fine,however i'm very confused. I have very dense breasts that are very lumpy and hard. the mamo report said there is no evidence of stellate mass or architechtual distorion in either breast. There are no other findings. There is a 1.5cm density seen in bot hthe cc and MLO views. Given the dense nature of the breast parenchyma. I suspect this is due to breast tissue overlap. (the next day I had the ultraound redone and it said this) the patient described a finding of palpable nodule in axillary aspect of the left breast so we performed additioanl ultrasound to assess the finding. There is a hypoechoic region present in teh 2 o'clock position subcutaneously which measures approx 1.4cm. It is ill-defined but does not provide any posterior acoustic shadwoing. It appears to extend alon gthe fasical planes horizolntally without exhibiting any vetical growth. I question whether or not this maybe an area of inflammation. I cannot exclude the possiblity of a  mass. Short term reevalution of 6-8 weeks will be recommended to monitor this. If this does show resoultion no futher revalution will be needed. If it does persist the patient will need a biopsy. I am confused the reports suggest everything is fine and I have very dense breasts and my doctor is not concerend and says I don't need to come back or have a bioposy,but why does the ultra sound report conflict with this. I don't know what to do and if should see a specialist. I don't want to over worry but at the same time I wonder if they are missing something.


This discussion is related to hypoechoic noncystic breast lesion.

[bluebutterfly2222]

I am sorry that you have been dx with BC, but glad that it was caught at such an early stage.

If the lesion is small, it may be able to be removed without a great change to your breast. If the lump is too large to be removed without significant distortion of the breast, it is sometimes recommended that the patient have a mastectomy followed by reconstruction (which in some cases can be done at the same time as the original surgery).

The surgeon you consult will discuss the likely cosmetic outcome as well as any other questions you may have about the proposed surgery.

Please keep us updated on how things are going, and if there is any way we can help.

Best wishes...

[sweetie2040]

I got the results of the biopsy yesterday, stage 1 BC in let breast which seems to be contained in the lump from what they see. They are ordering an MRI to check nodes,etc. I"m still in shock. The dr said something about lumpectomy, radiation,tomoxifen, I havent' been in to see them yet, I'm reading a ton of stuff online. Thank God I caught it through ultrasound, the mamo read normal. I'm really scared of a lumpectomy becasue I have very small breasts. To be honest I am just as scared about changes to my body as I am of cancer itself. Any advice would be greately appreciated.

[bluebutterfly2222]

The core needle biopsy sounds like a good step. It is not 100% definitive, in that it still can miss finding very small areas of abnormal cells (as compared with an excisional biopsy), but on the other hand it is minimally invasive.  

Best wishes, and please keep us posted on how things turn out.

[sweetie2040]

I went to see the dr today (specialist) who did an ultrasound and confirmed the first report. She is sending me for a core needle biposy since the edges are irregular. Any advice on this?

[bluebutterfly2222]

Thanks for the update!

I am sure you will feel more confident regarding your status after seeing the breast specialist, and I am glad you were able to get an appointment so quickly.

Since you have dense breasts, an MRI may be recommended. MRIs are helpful in "seeing" though dense breast tissue, although their high level of sensitivity can produce "false positives."

Best wishes...

[sweetie2040]

thank you for your comment. This is all so confusing so any help I can get understanding is so greatly appreciated. I decided after reading everything I had to go ahead and get a second opionion. The final U/S report was listed as a birads 3 and from what I researched online it looks like most likely normal but follow up reccommended. To ease my mind I am taking all the reports to a breast specialist to see what she thinks. I also got a seperate letter saying I have "dense breasts" and to make me aware additional screening be given for this type of breast tissue. Because of this I think have my care with a breast specialist may be a good move in the long run because they can follow my history. I will keep you posted on the exam which is next week.

[bluebutterfly2222]

Basically, the US showed an ill-defined area, which could be inflammation, although the possibility of a mass could not be ruled out. The radiologist felt a reevaluation in 6-8 weeks would show whether the possible inflammation has resolved; if that is not the case, a biopsy will be needed.

If you are not comfortable with that recommendation for short-term followup, you can of course consult a breast specialist.

Please let us know how things turn out for you.

Best wishes...