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Posted by Shelly Blechman on 7/31/2003 from 216.117.218.35:

In reply to: SCARED!!! All sorts of new stuff found in my breasts! posted by anne on 7/30/2003 from 12.162.144.200:

I understand your concerns over finding changes in your mammogram but I want to emphasize that these changes in our breasts are very normal. There are always things effecting how our breasts look via an X-ray.

In terms of things not showing up on a mammogram when you were 37 years old, this is to be expected. Younger women have very dense breasts that show up white on a mammogram and thus, they are harder to read, as a lump or calcification also shows up white. As women get older, their breast tissue is replaced by fat and this shows up dark on a mammogram, thus making it easier to see changes that appear white, such as calcifications or lumps (be they benign or malignant). Also, know that mammograms are not 100%, they miss about 15% of the lumps, but they are the best tool we have now for early screening for breast cancer.

Again let me emphasize that calcifications, cysts and fibroadenomas are all normal occurrences. And yes, you can expect these types of things to appear and disappear over time. That is why having your mammograms examined from previous years each time you have one is an important part of the process to see if these areas have been there for some time or may indicate a new area of suspicion or just normal changes. Of course it is always stressful to go in for a mammogram because we all know why we are taking the test…to see if we have breast cancer. So it can be very nerve racking to await the final report. Just realize that worrying about this won’t change the outcome one way or the other and that it is much better to KNOW one way or the other, and with mammogram technology getting better and better, we are finding cancer in much earlier stages than ever before. It is also not good to listen to “horror stories” as they tend to panic you for no need and they are the exception, not the rule.

While it is true that there is no way to be able to determine whether it is definitely cancer or not unless you have a biopsy. There are certain things that, when screened through mammogram and ultrasound, are definitely NOT suspicious and you can go on your merry way until next year. Remember the odds are in your favor as 80% of all breast lumps are benign.

But you are doing the right thing by having regular clinical exams and mammograms. You should also be performing breast self-exam (BSE). I would be glad to send you information on that if you would like. You may send me your information via email or call us toll free at 866-2 WIN ABC (294-6222).

Thank you again for contacting us with your concerns.

Shelly Blechman
Program Director
WIN Against Breast Cancer

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• Re: SCARED!!! All sorts of new stuff found in my breasts! - anne   7/31/2003 (0)

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