An Inconclusive Biopsy: More In-Between Ahead

I’ve had many biopsies over the years.  They have all been able to definitively tell whether the finding is cancer or not.  I was expecting that same clarity after this latest biopsy. I was completely unprepared to hear that the results were inconclusive. 

Well, that’s just great.  So, do I have another breast cancer or not?

No one knows.

Fabulous.  So now what? 

A Little Background

So, how did I get here?  I’ll back up and recap the story a little bit.

In 2019, a mammogram detected calcifications on my right breast during a regularly scheduled screening.  These calcifications were determined to be stage 0 breast cancer via a biopsy.  Once I was diagnosed, my surgeon ordered an MRI and genetic testing.  Genetic testing revealed that I didn’t have any genetic variants that would increase my risk for additional cancers.  

However, an MRI revealed many findings on my non-cancer side- my left breast.  This imaging led to three more biopsies, all of which were benign.  But that doesn’t mean the radiologists would stop monitoring them for changes.  

I had a few masses in the left breast that I could feel on a self-exam.  These were all believed to be benign fibroadenomas.  During my lumpectomy in 2019, my surgeon removed the largest of those, and it was confirmed benign.  The other findings have been monitored during my annual imaging.  

One of these, in my breast’s lower quadrant (4:00), has increased and decreased slightly in size over several years.  This particular one hadn’t been biopsied because it looked benign.

What Changed This Year?

This past year it increased significantly in size.  The radiologists decided it was time to figure out what was going on.

After my ultrasound-guided biopsy, I was scheduled to have a results appointment with my surgeon.  Unfortunately, the pathology wasn’t back in time.  

I spent most of that day in an anxious spin, messaging the office and checking in to see whether the results would be in.  Someone in the office reached out directly to pathology to see what was happening.

Finally, at 5:00, my surgeon’s office called.  I’d expected it to be more delays.  But instead, it was my surgeon calling to give me my results.  

The entire pathology board reviewed my case, and they were unable to determine if the sample was definitely benign or definitely malignant.  My biopsy sample contains spindle cells – which are cells that are longer than they are wide.  These can be benign or malignant, but the pathologists couldn’t make a definite diagnosis because there wasn’t enough of a sample.

The board reviewed my case and decided that given the inconclusive nature of the samples, the increase in size, and my history of breast cancer, the best decision would be to have the surgeon remove it.

Long story short, I’m facing another lumpectomy. This one is for a suspicious lesion they will know more about once they can run full pathology. So, I have no idea if I have a second breast cancer or not.  I’ll know after surgery.

Blah.  This wasn’t the summer fun I was looking for.  And I thought a biopsy wasn’t fun.  

My next steps are an in-person appointment with my surgeon to make a surgical plan.  I have no idea the lead time for lumpectomies, so that remains up in the air.

More in-betweens, but this time with the rising tide of anxiety that comes with a pending surgery.