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Now What? What An 'Abnormal' Mammogram Means

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Written by Porter health system   

From the Spring 2010 StayHealthy publication

Few calls create more anxiety than this one: “Your mammogram looks suspicious. We’d like you to come in for further testing.” abnormal-mammogramYou fear the worst. You phone a friend. You lose sleep. Yet facts may reassure you.

“It’s important to let women know that being called back for additional testing does not suggest that they have cancer,” said Esther Lee, MD, a radiologist with Porter who has been fellowship trained in Mammography. “What we see may simply be an overlapping of normal breast tissues or a breast mass that is not cancerous. But we need to do the due diligence to find out,” she said.

According to Lee, 5 to 10 percent of screening mammograms end up needing additional evaluation, yet cancer is found in just about four of 1,000 women screened. Even more reassuring is the fact that 90 percent of women diagnosed with Stage 1 cancers are living five years later due to early intervention. Unfortunately just 58 percent of breast cancers are diagnosed this early, underscoring the need for annual mammograms.

Following a suspicious screening mammogram, your doctor may request one or more of the following:

  • Diagnostic Mammogram Further x-rays are taken of the breast and extra pictures are focused on the suspicious area.
  • Breast Ultrasound Ultrasound can be useful for looking at some breast changes and also helps tell the difference between cysts and solid masses. Sometimes it can reveal that a tumor is benign, as it can often show if a lump is really a cyst (fluid-filled).
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Breast MRI can clarify mammography results because of its superiority in imaging soft tissues. MRI may also be used to help guide a radiologist to quickly and effectively biopsy suspicious breast lesions. This is known as MRI-guided biopsy.
  • Breast Biopsy A biopsy is the only way to tell for sure if a change is a benign breast condition or cancer. A biopsy involves removing cells from the suspicious area using either a needle or surgery, depending on the size and location of the lump or area that has changed.

“Chances are good that you do not have breast cancer, but you can’t let the fear of an abnormal finding keep you from getting your annual mammogram,” said Lee. Your screening mammogram is actually the best way to reduce your chances of bad news. Better safe (and temporarily stressed) than sorry. The American Cancer Society recommends yearly screening mammograms starting at age 40.

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