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Your results and further imaging

Your results

The majority of women will receive a letter in the post telling them their mammogram is normal. A few women will be asked to return for a number of reasons; sometimes the initial images were not clear enough for technical reasons. A few women will be recalled for further assessment and this will take place at the Breast unit at Addenbrooke's hospital. Most women who are recalled will be discharged at the end of their assessment.

What happens if I'm recalled for assessment?

If there is any uncertainty about your mammogram result, we will invite you to the Cambridge Breast Unit for further assessment. This is a standard process nationally and would involve a clinical examination of your breasts by a trained healthcare professional, further imaging, and biopsy of your breast(s) if required. As much will be done as possible during the appointment to avoid multiple visits and delays in your results.

Further imaging could involve:

  • Additional mammographic x-ray views
  • A 3D mammogram using tomosynthesis
  • Ultrasound of the breast

Some patients will require a biopsy to confirm their imaging findings. In the vast majority of cases this will be performed during the same visit. Biopsy results take several days to come back from the laboratory and you will be given a results appointment to return and discuss your results with the clinical team. You will also be given the contact details of our specialist breast care nurses who will be able to help you with any questions or worries you have during this time.

Ultrasound

This is similar to the ultrasound used for pregnant women. It is a painless examination of the breast using sound waves instead of X-rays. The examination is performed while you are lying down; some jelly is applied to the skin and a probe is passed over the breast to produce a picture on the screen.

Needle biopsy

This involves injecting local anaesthetic into the breast, and the introduction of a special needle designed to take a small sample of tissue for analysis by the pathologist. This procedure can be performed by a surgeon or radiologist. According to the method used, this can take 10-30 minutes.

The majority of our breast biopsies are performed using ultrasound for guidance. Occasionally patients will need breast biopsies using mammographic guidance.

Should it be necessary to perform a needle biopsy, it will take a week for the pathologist to process the test. For this reason, we will need you to return the following week for the result

Breast MRI

Very occasionally patients will need a magnetic resonance scan of their breasts.