I am a candidate for reduction mammoplasty. It's determined I have a higher than normal risk for breast cancer due to family history. My doctor would prefer I don't have the procedure due to scar tissue development which she says can be misleading during screeening which could lead to unnecessary biopsies. Can a radiologist determine the difference between scar tissue & a tumor in a mammogram or ultrasound or an MRI?
November 4, 2014
Answer: Breast reduction affecting mammographic screening Hi - this is a very good question I am asked all the time. For my reduction patients who have a higher than normal risk of breast cancer due to family history, I always make sure they have a baseline mammogram pretty soon before their surgery, then another new baseline mammogram around 3-4 months after their surgery. There is definitely a slightly higher risk of needing a biopsy, but typically radiologists can differentiate between scar tissue and a suspicious mass. If you have a very high genetic risk of breast cancer (such as any of the BRCA genes) and many people in your family have actually had breast cancer, you should have a serious discussion with your primary care physician and plastic surgeon before proceeding.
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November 4, 2014
Answer: Breast reduction affecting mammographic screening Hi - this is a very good question I am asked all the time. For my reduction patients who have a higher than normal risk of breast cancer due to family history, I always make sure they have a baseline mammogram pretty soon before their surgery, then another new baseline mammogram around 3-4 months after their surgery. There is definitely a slightly higher risk of needing a biopsy, but typically radiologists can differentiate between scar tissue and a suspicious mass. If you have a very high genetic risk of breast cancer (such as any of the BRCA genes) and many people in your family have actually had breast cancer, you should have a serious discussion with your primary care physician and plastic surgeon before proceeding.
Helpful
November 4, 2014
Answer: Breast reduction and risk for detecting breast cancer The short answer is yes, there can be internal architectural changes, densities, and calcifications that can be confused with breast cancer both on exam and radiographic tests. You might want to discuss this with your local radiologists or imaging specialists where you might go for these tests. Most well-trained and experienced radiologists who deal with breast surgery and breast cancer patients can distinguished malignant lesions from benign. But remember that there are false positive and false negative readings on these tests even without breast reduction. Depending on your age, I will usually recommend a baseline post-op mammogram no sooner than 6 months after reduction so that you have a "clean" mammogram with which to compare future mammogram Often it is the change that a radiologist sees that tips off a lesion's significance. Finally, if you have an extremely strong family history of breast cancer as well as dense, "hard-to-read" breasts, you might consider genetic counseling to see if genetic testing is appropriate.Robin T.W. Yuan, M.D.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
November 4, 2014
Answer: Breast reduction and risk for detecting breast cancer The short answer is yes, there can be internal architectural changes, densities, and calcifications that can be confused with breast cancer both on exam and radiographic tests. You might want to discuss this with your local radiologists or imaging specialists where you might go for these tests. Most well-trained and experienced radiologists who deal with breast surgery and breast cancer patients can distinguished malignant lesions from benign. But remember that there are false positive and false negative readings on these tests even without breast reduction. Depending on your age, I will usually recommend a baseline post-op mammogram no sooner than 6 months after reduction so that you have a "clean" mammogram with which to compare future mammogram Often it is the change that a radiologist sees that tips off a lesion's significance. Finally, if you have an extremely strong family history of breast cancer as well as dense, "hard-to-read" breasts, you might consider genetic counseling to see if genetic testing is appropriate.Robin T.W. Yuan, M.D.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
