Does a suspicious mass found on breast by ultrasound and swollen lymphnodes definitely mean cancer?
Breast exams are categorized by numbers called Bi-rads. When a doctor recommends a biopsy, they need to categorize it as either a Bi-rads 4 (suspicious for malignancy) or Bi-rads 5 (highly suspicious for malignancy). It’s an unfortunate choice of words, but that’s all it is — a word. Try to not obsess about it! More than 85% of biopsies performed are benign (not cancer). The reason so many of them are done is that it’s an attempt to catch cancers early. The earlier it’s caught, the better your chance of survival is. Did your doctor tell you that they saw a reactive lymph node on your exam, or do you feel like they’re swollen? If your lymph nodes just feel swollen, it might not be anything at all. Maybe you’ve been around someone who is sick, and your body is just reacting to that. This is easier said than done, but not to not think about it. If you do feel the need to obsess, obsess in a positive way — think about getting your negative results! Think of this whole experience as just
