A few mammogram questions.

**auntie2many** · 02-10-2010, 05:15 PM

I am in my late 40's so have been having mammograms for a few years now. I had one today and I saw two pictures as the tech took them. One was very white and cloudy looking and the other was clear and looked like just a few veins showing. I am scared because last year they had me come back for more imaging as they thought they may have seen cancer than decided that I was cancer free. What does a cancerous breast look like? Thanks to all who reply.

**Mom2-3** · 02-10-2010, 06:10 PM

I'm not sure and really have no advice, but I do understand how scared you must feel.

I just went through this.

**Contrary Housewife** · 02-10-2010, 06:45 PM

Cancer shows up as a solid white spot against the milky or mostly clear image of your breast.

The cloudy white image you saw was probably normal, but someone will have to examine your scan to see what your state of health is.

**jas** · 02-10-2010, 07:30 PM

I don't really know a lot, but I did work as a mammography tech assistant for awhile. When you look and someones films and see big things we would tend to think right off the bat that something is very wrong. That is not usually the case. They are looking for very small tiny almost pin point size white dots in clusters. Obviousley if someones cancer has gone undetected for a long time it will look way bigger. Just because what you saw looks like it shoud be bad it most likely was not.

Now with last years films and this years films the radiologist wiill compare the two and see if there is any change. That is why it is important to keep all your films in one place. I have been called back on my last two mammos. For different reasons, but everything was fine. They want to cover themselves and of course catch anything as soon as they can.

As we age our breast change too so they will look different on the films year to year.

**frugalfoster** · 02-10-2010, 09:37 PM

sometimes the pictures differ because of breast density....don't borrow trouble until trouble comes knocking.... you can spend your whole life worrying about something that never happens ....

**frugalfranny** · 02-11-2010, 01:52 AM

Originally Posted by Contrary Housewife

Cancer shows up as a solid white spot against the milky or mostly clear image of your breast.

The cloudy white image you saw was probably normal, but someone will have to examine your scan to see what your state of health is.

Pretty much sums it up. Your hormones can also affect the pics - depending on what 'they' are doing.

**oldtech** · 04-07-2010, 01:14 AM

Mammogram pictures are extremely difficult to diagnose. I was an xray tech for 30 years and I took the mammogram course. I never did get to practice in this field, however. The images are affected by how solid your breasts are. Large patients(like myself) have what they call fat replaced breasts. When you are young a perky the breasts are clearer to look at in these. Just having to do extra pictures is nothing to worry about most times. It is often the positioning or settings on machine that requires them. They do extra views if there is something suspicous but often turn out to be nothing but an artifact.
In cancer masses in the breast there should be a "stellar " pattern to a mass. This indicates that it is likey cancerous and the star "fingers" around it is the cancer spreading. If the entire picture looked white of fuzzy would just indicate the type of breast tissue you have. To have a mass that size, with no palaple lumps or no symptons of advanced cancer is not likely. The Radiologists that read these pictures have to be reading them all of the time and have some extra training for this.
You would like the group of Radiologists that I worked with. They believed that no patient should go home worrying about their findings. If necessary they will have an ultrasound done when it is required, while you are still there. They will talk to you about the result before you leave. This is great for the patients
Brenda