Need Help!

acyunne · New User Joined: 24 Apr 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Jakarta

Hi, I need an information about mammograph, since in here (Indonesia) mammograph can only be taken after 30years old. is that true??

actually the problems goes to my fiancee... and I don't want to be late to take an action before it's too late...

at January 2008 My Fiancee (24) was complaining about her pain at her waist and below the left breast. then I told her to check her breast and she found a lump at her left breast about 3cm upside the left nipple..

at Feb 2008 she went to doctor and the doctor suggest her to take an USG Mammae test and the result is she had a tumor / benign about 3x2cm, not just one but another 2 benign were also found at her right breast smaller than the left one. Shortly, the doctor said nothing to worried about since it just a benign / moderate tumor, and he'll see about it after 3 month later.

assuming that there was nothing to worried about, then my fiancee decided to stop taking the test after 3month.. but after the 4th month she felt that pain again, so I insisted her to taking Mammograph to make sure whether is it fine tumor or it can be a Breast Cancer. then, we went to another hospital to take mammograph. BUT, the doctor said that they can't do the mammograph for her because of ages problem and said that mammograph is just for 30's or above. and I asked "Why??" as I know that in Japan many teenager do mammograph...
and she explained that because below 30's the breast cells were still growing and the result of the mammograph will be blurred by it...
IS THAT TRUE???

and then she suggest to take another USG Mammae test
well, since I've already paid for the test, then we go through for it though..
and the result was a growing benign (about 2 - 3mm) at right breast and another is smaller (about 1-2mm) at left side. and the doctor confirmed that it just only a benign, there was nothing to worried about, it cannot to be cured unless it removed with surgery..

my question is, what should I do? convince her to take a surgery which she's very very afraid of??? or do a mammograph instead of surgery??? can a mammograph be obtained for her ages???

thanks for the helps!!
God bless you all
_________________
Acyunne
Jakarta - Indonesia

brainman · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:52 am Post subject: Re: Need Help!

acyunne, I am very sorry about your fiancee's health concerns. I am not sure what a USG Mammae test is. Is it an Ultrasound?

I can say with 100% confidence that there is no way for anyone to say whether it is benign or malignant without a biopsy.

I can also say, although with less certainty, that the "30 years or older" is a limit based on statistics; most breast cancers occur in women over 30. Therefore, the logic goes, why expose women under 30 to the danger of radiation from a Mammogram?

Nevertheless, THERE ARE women under 30 who do have breast cancer, so that should not be a hard and fast rule. A doctor should be able to order an mammogram if their is any question about breast cancer.

As for breast still growing in women under 30, while that might be true, that really should not be a factor. A Mammogram of a woman under 30 would not be good as a "baseline" against which to compare future Mammograms but still a Mammogram would show an abnormality.

Well, I think I have muddied up the water and I let others who know more about breast cancers correct me where I am wrong Laughing

.

You and your fiancee are in my thoughts and prayers. Do keep us informed.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendroglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
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Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

Vee Smith · Moderator Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 817 Location: UK

[quote="acyunne"]
and she explained that because below 30's the breast cells were still growing and the result of the mammograph will be blurred by it...
IS THAT TRUE??

my question is, what should I do? convince her to take a surgery which she's very very afraid of??? or do a mammograph instead of surgery???. can a mammograph be obtained for her ages???

[/quote]

Hi - the doctor is correct. Young women's breast tissue is dense, and mammograms are not efficient at scanning the tissue. Ultrasound is more effective for this purpose in young women. If you seriously think there should be further examination, you should discuss with the doctor whether to do a CT scan, but she may well discourage you as the costs are high.

As to the surgery problem, it is good that the tumours are benign, but your fiancee would be well advised to have a lumpectomy, removing them and allowing for a biopsy which would then confirm the diagnosis.

I hope you and she can resolve this matter. Do let us know what happens.

acyunne · New User Joined: 24 Apr 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Jakarta

as I've read at

[link deleted by admin]

it tells that MRI can effectively detects breast cancer. How's about that? is that an ordinary MRI test or "another thing" of MRI??

I'd like to ask about the symptoms of someone who's gonna get breast cancer beside the benign, since she (my fiancee) is already have it..

I am very concern about her complaining about her pain at all over her body, especially at her chest, mostly the left one. sometimes it felt burning, she said. And I can see her face getting skinny around her eyes and cheeks...
is that a symptoms??? does anyone have that experiences before??

I've reassure her to take a surgery, and she finally agreed with me.. but the problem is, she will take that after we've married (about next year). Meanwhile we just wait and see... but I'm afraid that's too late for taking an action regarding to her complains...
but the other side of us tells us that it'll be okay, and there's nothing to worried about.. like the Radiologist told us to married as soon as possible, and having baby, because when she feeding a baby, the structure of her breast will improve and possibly the benign will disappear... hopefully...
is that true?

sorry if I wrote too much about my feeling...
thanks for the replies. May God always bless you all...
_________________
Acyunne
Jakarta - Indonesia

mymaria · Experienced user Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 57

acyunne,

I am sorry to hear about your fiance. I must agree that there is no certain or better way to determine if the tumors are benign or malignant than by biopsy. That should be done as soon as possible.

If the doctor (is he or she an oncologist?) says that the only way to cure is by surgery, then that should be a short-term event. Not 3-months from now, not in a year after you get married, etc.

The very idea that a doctor (radiologist) suggested that you start a family and that would improve her breast, etc. and that there is NOTHING to worry about is just WRONG! The facts are that your fiance has tumors. No biopsy has been done to verify virulence of cells. No surgery has been scheduled (right?) to remove tumors IN BOTH BREASTS. She is complaining of pain...acyunne, these are all indications and symptoms of things that are just not right.

Without knowing the nature of the tumor cells, pregnancy may become a tremendous catalyst for the rapid growth of these cells! If the cells are hormone receptor positive, pregnancy will undoubtedly FEED the cancer! I know. The cancer cells in my wife were hormone receptor positive, she was pregnant, and the increased expression of hormones during her pregnancy almost certainly contributed to the rapid growth and spread of the cancer throughout her body.

Please do everything possible to get the following done:

1. biopsy of the tumors
2. surgical removal and/or timely treatment based upon biopsy (surgery, radiation, etc.)
3. Get an MRI and/or PET scan. It is true that the breast of women under the age of 40 are more dense and mammograms are not as efficient, but there are other tests/scans.
4. One study suggest that approx. 6% of women (in the USA) below the age of 40 are diagnosed with breast cancer. That's "diagnosed." There is no definitive study that sheds light on just how many women diagnosed after 40 didn't already have cancer formation "prior" to the age of 40. My wife, unfortunately, fell into the 6% category.

I'm not trying to place additional fear into your heart, but this is not a matter to dismiss without making EVERY effort to make certain that your future wife's concerns (AND YOURS!) are addressed thoroughly. I don't know how the medical system works there, or if you can get varying opinions on your fiance's situation, but delay is not an option.

I'm sorry, but I have been through too much and have watched my wife go through too much to put this lightly in any context.

I pray for your fiance and you! Be a strong and support advocate for her...

Richard
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Dallas, TX

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