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9mm Asymetric Density on Mammogram

marywj
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Hi,

I haven’t been on here for a while.  I’ll be 5 years post diagnosis in January.  I had a right mastectomy in 2022 after a 10mm IDC was found with extensive low grade DCIS.  HER2 low, Er/Pr +. I’ve been on hormone blockers all this time and was doing pretty well, or so I thought.

I have private medical cover through my husband’s work so took an opportunity to go in and have an extra look at everything.   I was pleased that on my mastectomy side the ultrasound showed all was well and there was no sign of recurrence.  However, on my remaining left side they discovered this 9mm “asymmetric density” on the mammogram in my upper area near my armpit, maybe a node, they couldn’t say.   As I was already on the bed having an ultrasound on my mastectomy side I asked the radiologist to do the left side where she had seen the density on the mammogram but she refused and said she needed to compare to my other NHS mammograms first.  I can’t help thinking that was ridiculous, but it was an evening appointment and it was getting towards 8.30 pm.

I had an ultrasound on my remaining breast too back in February in my NHS clinic and they found a small cyst and popped it and said my nodes were very slightly larger than 2 years ago.  Everything else looked ok.

The private hospital are sending for all my previous NHS imaging and I won’t hear until next week what they want to do which is disappointing.  I’ve gone private and expected some quick answers frankly.  Since my diagnosis 5 years ago I’ve had yearly NHS mammograms on my remaining side and they’ve all been okay.  I hope I haven’t been falsely reassured and that something hasn’t been missed.

I’ve been through all this before and understand how tough the waiting is, but does anyone have any opinions of how slow they’ve been at the private hospital and can the nurses give me an opinion too on how worrying this density is please.  I’m holding onto a positive in that I’ve been told the radiologist graded it 2 out of 5, with 1 being normal and 5 being probably cancerous, so that has kept me going a bit.

Thanks so much and all the best to everyone going through this.

x

  • Hello and thank you for your post,

    I can imagine this is a very stressful time for you, particularly as you have already experienced breast cancer in the past. Many people tell us that waiting for tests and results is one of the most difficult parts of the process, and it is understandable that having to wait another week for more information feels worrying and frustrating.

    I appreciate that you were disappointed to hear that the clinic needs to obtain your previous scans before they can give you more information. Although a week's wait can feel like a long time when you are concerned about a possible problem, it is quite common for specialists to compare new mammograms with earlier images. Having access to your previous NHS scans can help them understand whether an area has changed over time and may provide a clearer picture of what they are seeing.

    As cancer information nurses who are not involved in your care and do not have access to your scans or medical records, we are not able to comment on how concerning the area of increased density might be. I appreciate this is difficult, particularly given your previous breast cancer diagnosis. However, breast density or an area that appears denser on a mammogram does not necessarily mean cancer is present. There can be a number of reasons for this finding, and the team reviewing your scans will be in the best position to advise you once they have compared the images and completed their assessment.

    I hope you do not have to wait too much longer for an explanation of the mammogram findings and a plan for any next steps. In the meantime, it may help to focus on what you know at the moment, which is that further review is needed before any conclusions can be drawn. I also hope you have family, friends, or others around you who can support you while you wait for more information.

    Please do get back in touch if you would find it helpful to talk things through. Alternatively, you are welcome to call one of our nurses on 0808 800 4040, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

    Take care,

    Jemma

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