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If you are at a point where you get regular mammograms, this post is for you! I don't think I've posted this info before, but on more than one occasion I've ended up telling people about it and them not having known about it before hand, and since it is info that can give you more piece of mind, I make this post now.
It is not uncommon for women to get a call back after a mammogram saying you need to come back in. Scary as hell but not uncommon. If this happens to you, the first question you need to ask and the info you need to have right then is this. 'What is the BI-RADS?'. Because it is the answer to the question of how much you need to worry and what you need to be worried *about*. BI-RAD is basically the classification of what they found that makes them want you to come back in, and goes from a scale of 0 to 6. A 6 is an already confirmed malignancy and unless you're having more films done after a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer you ain't gonna get it.
If your BI-RADS is a 1 or a 2...congratulations, you didn't get a call back and don't need to know anyway.
If your BI-RADS is a 0 you probably got a call back, but you also don't need to be particularly worried. It means it was inconclusive, generally owing to particularly dense or fibrous tissue, not that they found anything in particular but they weren't able to see well enough on your first films to know if there was something to find. You'll need to go back for more films and possibly more sensitive screening, but you needn't be overly worried at all.
If your BI-RADS is a 3 they may want a closer look, but it is *likely* whatever they saw is nothing. Further films and a watch and wait is probably what's going to be advised. This is annoying, but file it under 'annoying overcaution' than anything to be worried about. They may not even call you back in for it at all.
If your BI-RADS is a 4 things are suspicious looking. Do not panic. It means they are going to want a biopsy. However (and memorize this as a mantra) eighty percent of these biopsies will come back negative. Eighty percent. What this means is a biopsy is warranted to make sure it is not, it does not mean they think that it is. This does not mean you should skip the biopsy. In fact I will kick your ass if you do. It means unless told otherwise, the likelyhood that you are okay is far greater than that you are not but it is better to be safe than sorry.
If your BI-RADS is a 5. You need a biopsy to confirm a *likely* malignancy. However, you should still not panic because they really can't know for sure until that biopsy, and you may be a lucky ducky and get a negative. And that biopsy may come back as DCIS even if it is positive (meaning, stage *zero* non-invasive). A 5 means you should be concerned and start thinking about cancer as a real possibility, not to set your hair on fire but to be prepared.
I'm not sure why this isn't a part of all the breast cancer information campaigns. I really don't, because it allows you to have a much clearer picture of what's going on and why they want you back in and what you need to be thinking about. This is the most vital piece of information you can have at that stage of the process. So if you get a call back on a mammogram what is your first question? Yup. 'What is the BI-RADS'. Know it, use it.
It is not uncommon for women to get a call back after a mammogram saying you need to come back in. Scary as hell but not uncommon. If this happens to you, the first question you need to ask and the info you need to have right then is this. 'What is the BI-RADS?'. Because it is the answer to the question of how much you need to worry and what you need to be worried *about*. BI-RAD is basically the classification of what they found that makes them want you to come back in, and goes from a scale of 0 to 6. A 6 is an already confirmed malignancy and unless you're having more films done after a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer you ain't gonna get it.
If your BI-RADS is a 1 or a 2...congratulations, you didn't get a call back and don't need to know anyway.
If your BI-RADS is a 0 you probably got a call back, but you also don't need to be particularly worried. It means it was inconclusive, generally owing to particularly dense or fibrous tissue, not that they found anything in particular but they weren't able to see well enough on your first films to know if there was something to find. You'll need to go back for more films and possibly more sensitive screening, but you needn't be overly worried at all.
If your BI-RADS is a 3 they may want a closer look, but it is *likely* whatever they saw is nothing. Further films and a watch and wait is probably what's going to be advised. This is annoying, but file it under 'annoying overcaution' than anything to be worried about. They may not even call you back in for it at all.
If your BI-RADS is a 4 things are suspicious looking. Do not panic. It means they are going to want a biopsy. However (and memorize this as a mantra) eighty percent of these biopsies will come back negative. Eighty percent. What this means is a biopsy is warranted to make sure it is not, it does not mean they think that it is. This does not mean you should skip the biopsy. In fact I will kick your ass if you do. It means unless told otherwise, the likelyhood that you are okay is far greater than that you are not but it is better to be safe than sorry.
If your BI-RADS is a 5. You need a biopsy to confirm a *likely* malignancy. However, you should still not panic because they really can't know for sure until that biopsy, and you may be a lucky ducky and get a negative. And that biopsy may come back as DCIS even if it is positive (meaning, stage *zero* non-invasive). A 5 means you should be concerned and start thinking about cancer as a real possibility, not to set your hair on fire but to be prepared.
I'm not sure why this isn't a part of all the breast cancer information campaigns. I really don't, because it allows you to have a much clearer picture of what's going on and why they want you back in and what you need to be thinking about. This is the most vital piece of information you can have at that stage of the process. So if you get a call back on a mammogram what is your first question? Yup. 'What is the BI-RADS'. Know it, use it.
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i know if it happens again, I'll know much more thanks to this!!!
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(However, should I ever be called back, there is no chance in hell that the person calling me will know the BI-RADS, or anything at all beyond the fact that I'm a name on a list who needs to be called back in. But it will be a good thing to ask my doctor, if it ever gets that far. So thanks!)