Waiting for breast biopsy result - scan showed indeterminate area

[Anxious23]

Hi all. Looking for some moral support/hand holding 🙏. Apologies for the essay! I went to the breast clinic on Friday as I had itching/ slight white discharge on one side, no lump. The nurse who saw me said it probably just eczema causing itching and discharge was dead skin cells but sent me for mammogram and ultrasound whilst I was there. Sonographer spent a long time looking at me and to my shock said her eye was being drawn to a 'vague' patch and she wasn't sure what it was. They took 3 samples from a biopsy there and then and put a marker clip in. The same nurse who saw me brought a breast cancer nurse in and said the ultrasound found a small (11 by 10mm) something that looked different from surrounding tissue and that it was indeterminate/slightly suspicious. They emphasised that if it was nasty it was treatable and my lymph nodes were clear on the scan.. but they just couldn't tell me how likely it was it was cancer, they reiterated it was an indeterminate finding and I would have to wait for the results next Friday. My appointment is with a consultant surgeon but they told me this is standard for a biopsy result.

Since then I have veered from feeling so sick with worry I can't eat to being weirdly calm last night, and then back to flapping now. I am trying to prepare myself for bad news whilst knowing it isn't definite yet. Has anyone got any reassurance either way? Anyone had similar language used and it be good news or am I right in thinking this is probably bad ☹️?

I guess they don't biopsy unless they are slightly concerned but the 'slightly suspicious', 'vague' and indeterminate words have frightened me.

My Mum is 70 and had a clear biopsy this year but she is on hols and I don't want to worry her by telling her til I know. Her Mum, my Grandma, died of breast cancer in her early 50s. I am in my early 40s with 3 kids 11 and under. Trying my best to keep it together.

Just sending love to you. Good luck

Thank you 😊

Anyone got any positive (or not) stories for me? I am struggling with the wait. They have now moved my appointment forward by a day...said just because v busy but I am struggling to believe them!

@Anxious23 when is your appointment OP?

It was last Thursday...and it wasn't great news unfortunately. It is cancer but they are confident it is small, early stage etc. Waiting for more scans to determine next steps. Feeling unlucky that this has happened to me and not looking forward to what lies ahead, but at the same time thank God I got checked and thank God they picked it up. My mind is now flapping about cancer being elsewhere in my body but hoping to speak to GP this week about that to get some reassurance.

Do you have the option of a PET scan? When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I had one - it shows up any other cancer in your body - but it is an expensive test, I had to pay $1,000 (Aus), so not sure what the situation is in the UK. Sorry to hear your news but good that it is early stage. I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Inflammatory Breast Cancer which is a particularly rare and aggressive strain but I have been cancer free for nearly four years now. Good luck.

Thanks. I haven't been told about that but then I guess that would make me anxious too because of the radiation😕They are going to do an MRI of both breasts and I am going for them to ask to have a better look at my abdomen some how. Thank you for your well wishes. Really glad you are doing well xxx

Hi @Anxious23 I had breast cancer 4 years ago.

As soon as I read your OP I thought it would be cancer. In my experience they know it when they see it on a scan and the biopsy is only confirmation.
The good news is it's very treatable in the vast majority of cases.
They will do lots more scans to check everywhere for signs of spread but if the lump is very small it's unlikely. They will do CT scans and a breast MRI. They also send off the biopsy for other tests.
You will soon find out that there are many different kinds of breast cancer and women of all ages are affected (though age increases the risk). Depending on the type they will then plan what your treatment will be. Some are oestrogen positive which there are many drugs to help. Another test is for HER2. If that is positive there is an excellent drug called Herceptin. You may need chemotherapy and radiotherapy depending on the type. You will definitely need surgery.

When you see the surgeon they will have all the results and a plan. I promise you that once you know the plan it becomes easier to cope.
Feel free to PM if you want.

@Anxious23 really sorry that this was the outcome.
As the last poster said, a plan will help as it will give you a sense of what's next and when.

Am currently awaiting an appointment this week myself and the wait is horrific. Especially you have a bad feeling from the comments already made.

Sending love to you ❤️

Im so sorry OP.

you’ve got this 💐💐💐

@Anxious23 when are your follow ups?

So I am speaking to the Nurse tomorrow. Hoping to speak to GP this week too. I have my MRI date now too which helps. X

So sorry OP. I am mid thirties and a year on from a breast cancer diagnosis. Still in treatment.

Just wanted to offer some support and let you know that, despite my cancer being decently sized, aggressive and also in my lymph nodes, I responded brilliantly to treatment and now have a good prognosis. The panic and terror does eventually die down, even though it feels like it never will at the start. I have had to practice not thinking about something until I really have to face it, to stop the panic and overthinking or racing ahead. I think everyone is worried that the cancer will have spread through their body or will be spreading very quickly once they're diagnosed. I know I did. I suddenly became aware of every sensation, lump and bump in my body. I felt convinced that, if they could see that my lymph nodes were wrong from that first scan, it must be everywhere, but I was wrong.

I have had support from a charity called 'shine' who support young people in their 20s, 39s and 40s with a cancer diagnosis. I did their 'breakout' programme, which is a guided online support group. It was great to meet other young people with cancer because it can be very isolating. I wish you all the best.

Thank you so much 💓 That is all really helpful. Really hope you are doing well. I am in my early 40s so not a very young person but I didn't have this in my game plan just yet 🙃 Good luck with everything you still have to face and hope you are in a much healthier place soon...sounds like you are making really good progress on that road xxx

Keep us updated @Anxious23. Here to handhold

Best wishes to you too @Secondhandemotion

I had this, down to indeterminate area and a marker clip. I know only two well that feeling of vacillating between icy calm and being convinced of the worst.

In my case, I got a call a couple of days before i was due to go in for the result, telling me all was well, as it was during the tail end of the lockdowns so they didn't want anyone in unnecessarily. Best wishes and a hand-hold for you 💐 I too put a MN post as I needed to tell someone and didn't want to worry my loved ones.

Thank you that's very sweet of you. I am through the worst of it and trying to focus on the future now.

You might not see yourself as a young person, but you are young for a cancer patient. Most of the other patients I see are a few decades older than me and have different concerns when it comes to their illness. Dealing with cancer when you are juggling work, young children, a mortgage and thinking about the effect on fertility etc can be tough.

Feel free to directly message me if you have any questions or I can be of any assistance. I have triple positive cancer and have had chemo, immunotherapy/targeted treatments, surgery, radiotherapy and I'm now on hormonal treatments too. It is an absolute whirlwind and I know everybody will tell you not to Google, so please listen to them! I scared myself silly and it was completely unnecessary because half of the stuff I read is not what has happened to me. I didn't need to keep thinking of those outcomes. I keep away from Google now and just listen to what my oncologist says. Your doctors will have the most up to date and relevant information personalised for you so trust them.

I am so sorry, i missed this post so I didn't see the diagnosis. Even more of a handhold from me!

A lot of people would have ignored the symptoms you had. I'm so pleased you acted on them.

Thank you. I am out this evening but will message tomorrow. It would be really helpful. Very kind of you to offer xxx

The cancer nurse told me I had got the golden ticket! Not quite sure I would have put it like that but an incidental finding at an early stage (hopefully!!) is something to be grateful for xxx