Should my mother get a second opinion??

My mother was diagnosed at last mammogram to have microcalcifications in her right breast. She went for biopsy and the hospital said they could not clearly locate such "spots". They said she could wait 4 mo. and get another mammogram. She is 55 and has family history of breast cancer-her grandmother died from it-and she also has Parkinson's Disease. She doesn't feel comfortable waiting because we looked up microcalcifications and they said it was "rapidly growing cells". Should she get a second opinion?? Please help-she doesn't believe it's "nothing to worry about".

Ask the doctor these questions:

Questions

What do the results of the mammogram indicate? Is it macrocalcifications or microcalcifications? Is there any indication of malignancy? Does the mammogram show a precancerous condition? Should a biopsy be preformed? What are the risks and benefits of "watchful waiting?" When should another mammogram be taken?

Breast calcifications are deposits of calcium that can be seen on a mammogram of the breast. There are two types: macrocalcifications and microcalcifications.

* Macrocalcifications usually are degenerative changes in the breast resulting from old injuries, inflammations, or aging of the breast arteries and are usually not related to cancer. Most often they do not require a biopsy. Macrocalcifications occur in about half the women in the U.S. who are over 50, and in about 10 percent of women under the age of 50.
* Microcalcifications are specks of calcium that may be found in an area of rapidly dividing cells. The residue left by rapidly dividing cells can appear as microcalcifications. When many are seen in a cluster, they may indicate a small cancer. About half the cancers detected appear as these clusters.

Description

Informational brochures about mammography and breast cancer always warn women to look for breast lumps and have them checked, but rarely discuss calcifications or microcalcifications. Most breast calcifications are benign. The term microcalcification is often used for calcifications found with malignancy, which are usually smaller, more numerous, clustered, and variously shaped (rods, branches, teardrops). Calcifications associated with benign conditions are usually larger, fewer in number, widely dispersed, and round. In the middle are hard-to-tell calcifications which are often labeled indeterminate. Magnification views (enlarged mammograms of a particular part of the breast) are sometimes recommended to get a better picture of the quantity, shape, closeness, and arrangement of microcalcifications. If magnification views reveal additional smaller microcalcifications clustered with those visible on the regular mammogram, the likelihood of cancer increases. When calcifications are thought to be associated with benign conditions, a routine mammogram is called for in one or two (or more) years, depending on a woman's age and risk factors. When suspicious microcalcifications appear on a mammogram, but no lump is felt, a needle localization biopsy is recommended, so that breast tissue can be removed and examined under a microscope by a pathologist. Some radiologists take an aggressive approach when dealing with indeterminate calcifications, recommending a needle-localization biopsy to see whether malignancy is present. Others take a wait-and-see approach, recommending that women return in six months for a follow-up mammogram to see if calcifications have changed - a sign that a cancer could be growing. Physicians who recommend "waiting and watching" point to survival statistics, which suggest that a six-month delay in diagnosis and treatment does not affect a woman's chances for a 5-year disease-free outcome. They claim that waiting is not dangerous because six months is a short time in the life of a slow-growing cancer. They also assert that chances for long-term survival with a fast-growing cancer are low, and that early detection does not seem to matter, especially for premenopausal women. Whatever reasons a physician has for recommending a six-month wait, generalities do not address individual cases. Each woman must still decide whether to biopsy indeterminate calcifications. Calcifications revealed on mammograms are thought to be associated with an increased risk of subsequent breast cancer. Women with calcifications in both breasts are at higher risk than women with calcifications in one breast. Women with any calcifications are at higher risk than women with none.

On something like that, you always get a second opinion

If it was my mother I would advise her to see another doctor if she had issues with the first diagnosis..but that's just my opinion

I think you already know she should. Don't take chances with your health; pursue every avenue to get the answers you need.

Get another opinion. With her health history it really should be looked at again. If it's worrying you, then it *IS* something to worry about. Best to you and your Mom.

Your mother knows her own body better then anyone else can. If she feels as if there is something to worry about, then she has the right to a second opinion. If she feels as if she needs one, then she should get one. It's better to be safe then sorry, and it will only make her nervous and ill waiting another five or more months to be rechecked.

Second opinion should be seeked. Anytime your gut feeling tells you something is not right - pay attention and pray

I would get another opinion. Never hurts have things checked out again especially if the mammogram turned up something.

My mom just went through the same thing. Apparently the technology employed in the newest generation of scanner is so good that it finds things like that. They advised my mom to wait too, which she did. It all worked out okay, which hopefully will happen for you.

It can't hurt to get a second opinion, but I think you are going to get the same answer... to wait.

Yes, get a second opinion. Tell her to stop drinking caffeine too. This makes it difficult to detect microcalcifications because the caffeine causes fibers in some breasts to join making benign lumps.

If you have any doubt you should definitely go for a second opinion, you have nothing to lose and it may put your mind at rest. Hope everything turns out ok.

i was told that a second opinion is always better to ease your mind

yes , get another opinion, sometimes ultrasound gives clearer picture then mammogram, my mom had two cysts that she could feel but were not visible on mammogram, ultrasound gave clear picture

Yes, she should get 2nd even 3rd opinions because she does have a family history of breast cancer. Breast tumor grow very fast when they do. It is risky to just sit and wait. Please do get other opinions.

She should if for no other reason than to ease her own mind. Good luck!

Yes, get a second opinion and full body checkup in faimus hospital, i pray to god she has no cancer