You've finished getting your mammogram and instead of getting the all clear, you get a call asking you to return for further evaluation. Nightmare scenario, right? Well, it shouldn’t be. More images, including MRI or ultrasound, may be required if the initial pictures aren’t clear. For instance, dense breasts, which we discuss elsewhere in this section, can make it hard to distinguish between fatty tissue and a tumor.
Before you let fear or panic take over, remember not to jump to any conclusions. A callback could mean a number of things, but typically, it just means that your doctor wants to investigate something further, to rule out at anything serious.
Read More Here are how the numbers on screenings break down, according to Dr. Connie Lehman, Chief of the Breast Imaging Clinic at Mass General Hospital in Boston: Of the approximately 10 percent of women who get called back, the vast majority will be absolutely fine after more imaging. Only 20 percent of those will need a biopsy and in the end, just five percent of that group will be found to have cancer. Still, that period of uncertainty is never an easy time. Waiting to hear more about something that could or could not be out of the ordinary is never easy. But Dr Lehman says the goal is to resolve any uncertainties as quickly as possible. In the meantime, fill your time with healthy distractions until you receive the answers you’re looking for. And rest assured that it most likely means nothing at all.
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