Sat in breast clinic. It's not going well.

[Sukisukisukiz]

I have had examination and ultrasound. Now I need a biopsy. Consultant saying that he thinks it's fibrocystic changes. But then why does it need a biopsy? I have tried asking but not sure I understood the answer. My appointment was at a private clinic and I am going back through the NHS for biopsy for cost reasons so if won't be done today.

And the worst thing is I went to my Gp about this in December and was put on a 6 month non urgent wait because I'm under 30. Which is why I went private in the end and it's still another 6 days until my biopsy. If it is something bad it will then have had almost 4 months to grow.

Hi OP. That sounds like a really torturous wait. You have my sympathies!
Try your best not to catastrophise. The consultant would not have lied to you - he genuinely thinks it is most likely fibrocystic changes.
The biopsy is most likely being taken for precaution.

I can see why you're worried, but he's obviously just double-checking. I hope everything's okay.

A biopsy is just a procedure where they take a small amount of the tissue to be tested by pathologists in the lab, to be able to identify it. This is the only way of knowing 100% what it is and confirming what they think it is.

The word biopsy is often associated with cancer investigations, but it simply means taking a sample of tissue without removing the whole thing.

Poor you 🙁 I had something similar, and had all the tests including biopsy, and it turned out to be a fibroadenoma. It's absolutely terrifying going through this, and the wait is torturous, but your in good hands. My very best wishes to you There are a couple of threads about this in women's health at the moment too x

Yes I'm definitely being completely over anxious. It's just the way it went from "we will just give you an ultrasound to make sure" to "and now actually you need a biopsy". I want to know what they saw on the ultrasound to make them change their minds. I asked, and was told that the scan showed it wasn't quite normal looking tissue. But wouldn't the fibrous changes they were on about explain that? So then I go back to why do I need a biopsy? I'm going round in circles and driving myself loopy.

I think anything which isn't clearly a straight up cyst on ultrasound will be biopsied just to make sure. Will keep my fingers crossed for you

@Sukisukisukiz

Yes I'm definitely being completely over anxious. It's just the way it went from "we will just give you an ultrasound to make sure" to "and now actually you need a biopsy". I want to know what they saw on the ultrasound to make them change their minds. I asked, and was told that the scan showed it wasn't quite normal looking tissue. But wouldn't the fibrous changes they were on about explain that? So then I go back to why do I need a biopsy? I'm going round in circles and driving myself loopy.

I doubt it'll be that they've changed their mind, in my experience even the NHS send things for testing as routine

OP, I had something very similar in my 20s. I was given the diagnosis then and there of fibroadenoma but they took a sample for biopsy as well just to confirm there wasn't anything more serious going on. But it is so, so hard sitting in that waiting room, isn't it!

Good luck OP. Most biopsies are positive in outcome ie good news.

Similar happened to me op a few years ago. I too went privately for a breast lump, ultrasound showed likely hormonal changes so I thought I had the all clear but the consultant then decided I needed a biopsy too (which came back all clear as well). He described it as a belt and braces approach.

Hand hold. I agree with pp, they don’t really know until they look at it properly which they can only do with a biopsy. I’ve had two womb biopsies. Both were perfectly fine. But it’s the only way to check. It could be fibrous tissue. My boobs are really odd feeling and it’s fibrous tissue apparently.

Really don’t worry, vast majority of these come back completely ok! They (rightly) take the approach that if they can’t 100% rule out something more derisory then they check to be sure. They think they know what it is from the scan so it’s unlikely to be anything else, but any uncertainty and they biopsy.

OP, as you are under 30, unless you have a family history, breast cancer is highly unlikely. This is most likely to be a harmless fibroadenoma. However, as PPs have said, it is always wise to biopsy the lump to pick up the very rare cases of breast cancer in young women.
In your shoes, I would be glad to have the biopsy for peace of mind.

I got needle biopsies too, when I had a lump and scans etc.

They aspirated to remove fluid and test it, but mainly to remove it. It was a benign cyst.

If you want reassurance or technical info, try a charity e.g.

breastcancernow.org/about-us

They have a phone line which is staffed by nurses. I used them when they were 'breast cancer care' & they were great.

All the best. I've been there & I know how scarey it is.

Another person who had a benign fibroadenoma biopsied here. They have to be sure but most come back as nothing sinister.

He's being cautious. He wants to be 100% sure.

I'm guessing you've seen an ultrasound image of a baby? They aren't exactly clear images with fine details...

Obviously the consultant is an expert in interpreting the images but it isn't always possible to 100% sure so just 1% doubt is enough to want to do a biopsy. Going back to the baby analogy, even identifying the sex of a baby isn't 100% certain and that is a far easier and larger difference to spot that the edges/shape of a mass in breast tissue.

A good doctor wants to have lots of negative biopsies because that means they aren't missing cases because they missed something.

Triple assessment is standard for breast lumps or suspected breast lumps - physical examination, imaging, and biopsy. The level of confidence required for a specialist to not biopsy is very high (for example, unable to find any site to biopsy, and other evidence of normality as well).

Hope it's confirmed that all's well.

A few years ago i had a big lump that consultant was pretty certain was infection but they did a punch biopsy to make sure after a mammogram and ultrasound.
Fortunately it was infection, took several weeks of antibiotics to shift it.

It's going to be a nervous and shitty 6 day wait. Statistics are on your side, you're under 30 and (I'm assuming as your GP put you on a non urgent waitlist) you have no concerning family history? The biopsy will 100% confirm that this is hopefully nothing to worry about. Fingers crossed for you.

Basically if the scan shows something, that doesn't mean something cancerous, just any benign growth, then its best to biopsy it to confirm the diagnosis. The consultant will be very experienced and will have seen a lot of both cancerous and completely benign things.The consultant won't be lying to you, if they think its fibrocystic changes that means it probably is fibrocystic changes

You sound very anxious so absolutely the best thing to do, to be 100% certain is to biopsy it. Realistically they only wouldn't biopsy if there was nothing to biopsy.

Ultrasound - sees cyst (very, very obvious) - no worries, no further action required.

Ultrasound - doesn't see cyst - take a biopsy to make certain what it is. Doesn't mean cancer, it just means it's not a cyst and you need to know exactly what it is, or you'll never stop worrying about it. The only surefire way of doing that is by taking a piece of it and looking at it.

I'm not promising a result either way, others have said how low the odds are that it's something that needs treatment, but in itself, the only reason you need a biopsy is because the only thing they can diagnose with certainty through a scan is a cyst and you don't have one of those.

Like if you heard something barking outside, you'd know it's not a cat, but you wouldn't be able to tell without looking at it that it's a male Dalmatian and not a female English Pointer. In that (probably rubbish) analogy, listening to the noise is the ultrasound, opening the window and looking out of it in the direction of the sound is the biopsy.

I hope you get seen quickly.

They said I had some cysts and then fibrous tissue surrounding the cysts which can be normal. Thank you your messages have helped me breathe.

This happened to me 4 weeks ago and the biopsy also caught me off guard. It’s just come back as all clear.
Hope yours does too, it’s bloody stressful and I was anxious too